Collection
Bench
Peter Hayes (b. 1946)
Bench
bronze
1.7 m long
2003
Bench recalls Peter Hayes' first impression on arriving in an African village, when he found himself watched by a silent group of villagers. The sculpture takes its form from a row of seated figures and is designed to be used as a place for sitting and contemplation. Cast in bronze, an unusual medium for Hayes who usually creates ceramic pieces, Bench will change with time as the patination is worn by people using it as a seat.
'I have known and worked with Peter Hayes for many years and very much enjoy his work. He finds much of his inspiration in the landscape. In the surfaces of his pieces one can find motifs that he first developed after working and living in Africa. This sculpture is instantly recognisable as his - very definitely of our time, but with reference to antiquity - to which we all respond' (Sir Stuart Lipton).