Flint Castle - Twice as Many Tides

2019

This is a project that did not get realised, but I include it as an example of how sometimes public art can be used to solve a larger problem in the public realm. It was also a really rather good idea, providing a unique solution to accessing the castle. So here it is, for the record of what could have been…..

First some background. CADW had encountered strong resistance to a previous sculptural scheme that then had to be very publicly abandoned. There remained however a conviction that an iconic sculpture would help draw visitors to the castle and town. Unfortunately, the budget available was in the order of £62k, which does not buy much icon.

After spending time on site just watching people and the tides come and go, I came to the belief that what was really needed was a bridge to link the carpark and proposed visitor centre to the castle, rather than a free-standing sculpture dotted somewhere in the surrounding landscape. Or better still, a sculptural bridge!

I saw so many people struggling to cross the tidal moat beside the castle, some falling completely into the mud. I was also struck by the life and activity of the foreshore, from birdlife to fishing. The Dee estuary was once a rich source of salmon fishing by boat. Talking to the last fisherman based in Flint, I realised that historic though the castle is, the everyday lives of those living in proximity were equally worth celebrating, as were the boats and nets used on the Dee. Made of non-slip decking, my sculptural bridge echoed the shape of a trammel net and had cut outs in the shape of boats to provide informal seating and picnic opportunities. Public engagement was to be further enhanced by community-inspired text, to be playfully discovered in the gaps between the boards.

Many historic events have taken place at Flint Castle, but I wanted to create a reminder of the day-to-day life that surrounded the castle throughout the centuries. My proposal celebratedeveryday life and everyday people. It is inspired by the activities that took place on the foreshore – the boats, the fishing and the tides.  

For every day in the history of Flint Castle, there have been twice as many tides.

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