Sculpture and the Land

New Milestones

Common Ground's New Milestones project in Dorset during the late 1980s encouraged a new generation of town, village and countryside sculptures. It aimed to stimulate the creation of small scale works of the imagination which express our sense of history, our love of place and of the natural world. It involved people in commissioning sculptors and craftspeople to help celebrate their place, with sculptures which will be valued and enduring features in the present and future life of the whole community.

Anyone can initiate the commissioning of a sculpture. The first move could come from a parish council, a Womens' institute, from local history or environmental groups, from interested individuals, landholders or farmers.

The commonplace and familiar aspects of local surroundings are often overlooked or taken for granted - but have great emotional value for the people who know them well. By recognising and sharing their feelings about their place, communities begin to take an active part in caring for their locality.

Read Sue Clifford's essay - New Milestones: sculpture, community and the land

Turning Point, Manor Farm, Godmanstone, by Christine Argus
Riverside Sculptures at Hurstone Farm, Waterrow, by Michael Fairfax
Entrance, Hooke Park Wood, by Andy Goldsworthy
Chiswell Earthworks, Chiswell, by John Maine
Wayside Carvings, West Lulworth, by Peter Randall Page
Grains of Wheat, West Lulworth, by Simon Thomas

Common Ground have also worked with Andy Goldsworthy and Peter Randall Page on a number of other projects linking sculpture with the landscape.