Ilkley Fountain

Design competition:

Echoing the way in which the design for the original Victorian fountain was selected, Improving Ilkley set up a competition for a new design to be chosen through public consultation. The prize was for the winning design to be scaled up and fabricated into the full size fountain.

Design inspiration:

Our submitted design, inspired by the relationship between moorland water and Sphagnum Moss, won the competition and we have gone on to develop it with Improving Ilkley, James Wilkinson (artist, blacksmith and metal fabricator) and volunteer consultants (architect and engineer).

Sphagnum Moss is a tiny plant found on Ilkley Moor. It is crucial to the forming of peat, filters and purifies the water, supports biodiversity, prevents flooding and becomes a vital store of carbon. As well as its significance to the development of Ilkley as a spa town where people came to take the waters, Sphagnum has long been associated with healing due to its use as a wound dressing during wars throughout human history (especially World War One). This is because of its natural antibiotic and absorptive properties.

Below is a short film made with Clare Dearnaley which explores the inspiration for the design.

Design:

The design, which intentionally plays with scale, responds to how water moves through the plant. It references Sphagnum on both micro and macro levels: the cut-out forms indicate the hyaline cells of the tiny leaves which hold water, and the tufty edges of the shapes suggest the Sphagnum as a growing carpet of moss, on its way to becoming what is known as a keystone eco-system engineer. A carpet of Sphagnum is bigger than the sum of its parts; able to affect the environment in which it grows and support other species. It gives an impression of both lightness and delicacy alongside weight and strength, and we hoped that the full-size sculpture would convey this.

The making of the sculpture:

We had previously worked with blacksmith James Wilkinson, and we recommended to Improving Ilkley that they commission him to make the sculpture. He scaled-up and interpreted the design into galvanised steel with incredible skill and artistry. We feel it is a true collaboration and are thrilled with the full-size fountain.

This community project is a testament to the different and complementary contributions of all involved and we are thankful to have had the opportunity to give this design to the town. 

Image below right to left: Ian Whitlam (volunteer engineer), Jo Jarvis (Improving Ilkley), Anthony Barnett (volunteer architect), James Wilkinson, Louise Hepworth-Wood (Improving Ilkley), Juliet Gutch

Community event

The project was funded by donations from the local community (JustGiving page). The fountain was opened officially on 30th April by Alan Titchmarsh CBE.

Selected words at the opening from a short speech by Juliet Gutch: “Any public art can be said to be an expression of a moment in time. With this design, which links the moor above to the town and river below, Jamie and I hoped to celebrate the energy of all the local groups which work to protect the precious natural habitats which we’re so lucky to live alongside. None of us in the team anticipated, however, how resonant the sound of the water would be as it flows through the fountain. It’s joyful and has a sense of hope. But it also seems to be an expression, in its own organic way, of the urgency for ever more care and reciprocity towards the natural world. It’s been a privilege to be part of bringing back this fountain and its voice. Thank you so much to Improving Ilkley and to everyone for the support.”

Images:

Photographer David Lindsay has taken images of the fountain from day to dusk to night:

Day

Dusk

Evening

Night