Tony Cragg: Raleigh

I went to Liverpool to the Albert Docks to view one of Craggs public sculptures called 'Raleigh'. The title 'Raleigh' relates to the sixteenth-century navigator Sir Walter Raleigh  who was a famous sailor for the Queen. Within the piece it consists of 6 individual elements: two iron bollards, two granite bollards and two horn shapes that were originally made from cast iron. These six elements were assembled on the site and arranged by a crane with careful instructions by Cragg. The sculpture was originally constructed in Liverpool in 1986 as part of a series of organised summer events by the Tate Gallery Liverpool and the Merseyside Development Corporation along with the Walker Gallery. One of the reasons it was there, was to draw attention to the development of the Tate two years prior to its opening.

The sculpture was not aimed to be site-specific, it is now permanently there.  After it was displayed in Liverpool, it had been moved to be reassembled at the Hayward Gallery, London in March 1987 for Cragg's Arts Council exhibition. Due to the fact the Tate wanted it back to promote their development, ‘Raleigh’ was returned to the original site in Liverpool in June 1987. As Cragg's customary practice was to assemble his sculptures around the idea of unwanted objects, he also used special fabricated objects. He drew a foundation of the sculpture in chalk on the floor so the workers could essentially recreate that into the main sculpture.

Cragg has always been a sculptor who normally considered his work as utilitarian- something that was designed to be practical rather than having aesthetic value. His idea behind 'Raleigh' is to pose a gesture or greeting to whoever has left Liverpool or to say welcome to the people who are initially arriving to the city. The two horn shapes that point out in different directions simply imply the fanfare or a farewell to those who are leaving Liverpool. It is symbolic to how foghorns are used to spread messages across the sea to sailors. Cragg feels that his sculpture shows how he can bring his optimism about his birthplace and welcome the renewal of Liverpool.

According to Cragg, his 1981 piece called 'Horns' had partly lead on the creations of 'Raleigh'. 'Horns' was made of man-made objects in both natural and synthetic materials which were later distributed on the ground in the shape of a horn.