The stunning sculpture is the town’s 104th piece of
public art and marks a newly created entrance into the churchyard of the Grade
II listed St Mary’s Church from the new development.
Since the 1950s when the New Town of Harlow was originally
developed, lead architect, Sir Frederick Gibberd wanted it to be a place where
people could enjoy great art on every corner. Gibberd founded Harlow Art Trust in
1953 which still owns many of the sculptures that can be found in shopping
centres, parks and developments around the town.
As
part of the development of Ram Gorse Park, Tilia Homes ran a competition with
the Harlow Arts Trust and St Marys Church and invited expressions of interest
from a number of artists. The winning design was from London artist, David
Murphy.
The
artist brief was to reinterpret the archetype of the traditional wrought iron
overthrow – a structure with a central light bridging a gateway. The final
work, which has been called ‘Day starts with morning’ stands at 11 feet
tall and is made of Corten steel.