It is not every day you stumble across five, 8ft (2.4m) bronze statues against the backdrop of a sandy beach and a vivid blue sky, in Lowestoft. Yet that’s exactly what happened on a sunny June weekend, and what a privilege to have seen the magnificent “Walking Men” by artist and sculptor Laurence Edwards, known for his larger-than-life figure sculptures.
The figures are cast in bronze encasing a multitude of materials, such as clay, plaster sticks, leaves, leather, string, metal, wood, and plant material which are used to construct the form of the figure. Cast by the artist at his studio, these are part of a series of large-scale bronze figures which have been displayed across the country. The “Walking Men” have recently returned from Australia, where they were on display at numerous locations including on the stepped terrace overlooking the Sydney Opera House, New South Wales. Before arriving in Lowestoft they were on display in the grounds of Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire.
The huge statues were installed on South Beach in Lowestoft, Suffolk, as part of the First light Festival which took place on the 22nd and 23rd June 2024, and they will remain there until the end of August 2024. These are situated close to the Ness Point in Lowestoft, which is the eastern most point in the UK and will catch the first rays of the sun as it raises on the summer solstice (21st of June).
The “Walking Men,” are created by the same artist who created the Yoxman statue, revealed in November 2021. At an impressive 26ft (7.9m) tall and eight tonnes, this bronze figure dominates the landscape in the in the grounds of Cockfield Hall near the A12 in Yoxford. Taking more than four years to complete the construction of such a massive figure, and it had to be completed in multiple sections. The 52 different interlocking sections had to be cast in bronze separately and were then assembled using a team to ensure the structure remained stable, fixed in its landscape and would stand up to the elements.
When you first get to the beach you cannot truly get a full sense of the “Walking Men” figures, it is only when you get close that you can see and feel the power and size of these figures, who look like they are from a past era. As you walk around and in between these huge figures you can see the shapes of sticks and organic materials draped on their bodies, in their hands and around their feet revealing the texture of the materials used in their construction, making you want to touch and feel the forms. Each figure is looking in a different direction but all appear to be walking in the same direction with purpose. In an interview with the BBC, Edwards describes the first figure as a leader or Captain, and the three other following as either henchmen or protectors, looking around the landscape for threats or working out where they are. The final figure is looking back across their shoulder from the direction they have come.
These figures are not only striking within the landscape but are part of it and worth visiting if you can, they will be on the South beach in Lowestoft, Suffolk, UK until the end of August 2024, and are free to view.