Leaf Cone

Danny has designed and hand carved two stone sculptures - 'Leaf Cone' and 'Bell Flower' - from De Lank granite. The sculptures are now positioned at the two entrances to this estate in Dunston. Leaf Cone is located at the entrance of Beech Drive and references beech leaves in the form of a seed. 

Residents and school children participated in a number of workshops to give their opinions and help develop the two pieces. The sculptures have been hand carved in De Lank silver/grey granite. Through the processes of polishing, honing, bush hammering and tooling a variety of finishes have been created to give the sculptures variety in texture. Granite was selected for its robust quality, and the addition of a sacrificial anti-graffiti coating onto the stone will protect both pieces from vandalism. Both sculptures are located on the ground and are fixed into concrete foundations beneath the earth. The overall sculptures measure 125cm in height x 50cm in width x 50cm depth.

All residents on the estate were invited to attend a number of consultation events at Dunston Activity Centre and West Park sheltered scheme. Residents were able to meet the artist, see examples of his previous projects and discuss their initial ideas for both pieces. Danny led a 'drop-in' workshop for the residents at Dunston Activity Centre which gave the opportunity for people of all ages to 'have a go' at stone carving. In addition he also held workshops at Kingsmeadow Secondary School, Dunston Hill Primary School and St Phillips Roman Catholic Primary School which are all located near the estate. Every resident was invited to see the final designs at an exhibition at Dunston Activity Centre and postcards were also sent so all residents could see the proposed sculptures and intended locations.

The artwork was commissioned by The Gateshead Housing Company with assistance from Gateshead Council. This artwork is part of a series of community public artworks which were commissioned by The Gateshead Housing Company and completed in 2010.

The artist

Danny Clahane is a stone carver who was commissioned to hand carve the two sculptures for this project. He is inspired by landscape, natural forms, architecture and early 20th century carving.

"I work in stone. The material fascinates me: the endless possibilities, the long history of sculpture and the geological timescales you cut through every time you create a piece".

Danny has a series of stone-carved sculptures at Watermark, the business development park near the MetroCentre. One sculpture commissioned by Gateshead Council can be found in the Tyne Tees Weather Garden.

More about the artist: Danny Clahane (opens new window)