Alison Wilding RA and Adam Kershaw selected to create a memorial to British victims of terrorism overseas

Managed by *Consultancy for the DCMS, the memorial is composed of three elements: water, land and air, come together in the work which is titled Still Water.

Located at the National Memorial Arboretum, the sculpture is sited a short distance within a copse so that it might gradually reveal itself, like coming across a hidden pool within a woodland glade. It is designed to be a place of reflection for families and visitors to commemorate British victims of terrorism overseas.

Fabienne Nicholas, Head of CAS *Consultancy said: “Alison Wilding is one of the most prominent sculptors of her generation and has worked with Adam Kershaw for years, so it is wonderful to support their first collaboration as artists together. Their proposal is a sensitive response both to the desires of the families for a peaceful space and the context of the wooded site.”

Alison Wilding said:

“Adam Kershaw was my assistant in the 1990s and over the years he has continued to make some of my work and solve intractable problems for me. We have often talked of collaborating on a project and are both delighted to be working on this memorial together.”

The Memorial will be installed by the end of this year, with a dedication event likely to follow in the Spring of 2018.

About the artists

Alison Wilding makes abstract sculpture. She is known for the wide range of both materials and processes she employs, as well as her capacity to work at the extremes of scale: from the hand held object to all but monumental sculpture.

Born in Blackburn, Lancashire, in 1948, Wilding graduated from the RCA in 1973. She came to prominence in the 1980s as one of a group of sculptors including Richard Deacon and Antony Gormley. Wilding was nominated for the Turner Prize in 1988 and 1992 and elected to the Royal Academy in 1999. Awards include a Henry Moore Fellowship at the British School at Rome (1998), Joanna Drew Travel Bursary (2007), Paul Hamlyn Foundation Award (2008) and Bryan Robertson Award (2012). Wilding lives and works in London and has been represented by Karsten Schubert since 1987.

Adam Kershaw is a sculptor/maker of objects and furniture, he has spent the years since leaving the Royal College of Art collaborating with, and working for clients to find solutions to the challenges of designing and making both complex and beautiful pieces. Whilst always attuned to his clients’ and collaborators’ ambitions, his own vision about the pursuit of quality and feel of workmanship informs the handling of the work. His specialist knowledge in the use of materials combined with years of experience, passion and exploration is evident in everything he produces.