“A functional, bespoke stainless steel memorial bench commissioned by Sony Entertainment Bristol. Located at St Werburghs City Farm, featuring seating shaped like a lily pad and characters from The Wind in the Willows.”
Commissioned by the employees of the Sony Entertainment Bristol office in memory of a deeply missed colleague, this bespoke stainless steel memorial bench is located at the tranquil St Werburghs City Farm in Bristol.
Inspired by Kenneth Grahame’s classic tale, The Wind in the Willows, the installation is both a narrative sculpture and a functional place of rest. The seating area is formed from overlapping, burnished steel plates shaped into a giant lily pad. Engraved directly into the surface where visitors sit is the gentle message: "Sweet dreams". Rising through the center of the seat is a cluster of smooth, stylized bulrushes that act as a visual anchor.
Gathered peacefully on the lily pad are heavily textured, bead-welded figures of the story's beloved companions: a resting Badger, a quiet Mole, and a small Toad. By making this a bench, anyone who takes a seat is invited to share the space with these characters. The story continues above and below—a dragonfly rests on a reed above a carefully woven spider web, while underneath the seating area, "Ratty" (the water vole) is captured mid-dive, swimming amongst the curved steel stems of the base alongside a small fish. It is a beautiful, interactive space for memory and an enduring celebration of friendship.
