The Ideas Genie Community Forum
General Category => General Discussion => Topic started by: NightHawk on October 27, 2011, 04:46:20 PM
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Recently came across this statue made out of pieces of scrap metal at a Garden Centre in Ringwood, Hampshire. It was set back in a little alcove surrounded by Bamboo at the entrance, standing about 8 feet tall.
Any movie fans amongst our members will recognise it as the alien creature from Predator.
Someone had a strange sense of humour to place it here, although we're not certain what the story is behind its placement.
Anyway, I had my compact digital camera in my pocket at the time so decided to get a shot of it. Captured for posterity :D
(http://www.pixiemouse.com/igforum/predator.jpg)
Has anyone else come across any unusual sculptures or suchlike in garden centres, public gardens, etc. It would be nice to have our members share any oddities here.
Laurie.
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Hes a fearsome fella Laurie :o
You've initiated a very good topic for discussion - good thinking! 8)
I'm looking forward to the response buy our members. I have a few in my own archives - much more jolly folk as I recall :D
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Time for another topic revival ::)
Didn't get much of an airing originally, so let's see if anyone has come across something interesting since then.
I'm sure there's lots of other quirky features out there somewhere, so let's hear about them please ;)
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Our son in law creates things like that from scrap metal. Not got any pictures though.
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that statue is great, i like stuff like that made out of old metal etc, when we were clearing a site we came across a load of old tree parts buried deep in the peaty ground and not knowing any better we dumped it or reburied it :o, it turns out it is called bogwood and can be used for making stuff and it is quite expensive, lesson learnt there i think :-[
phil
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Anthea had a student, years ago, called Keith Wilkins, and we have remained friends ever since. He is very keen on this sort of thing and I attach some photos that I took in his garden.
(http://farm1.staticflickr.com/34/108108152_dfd3ab1e89_z.jpg?zz=1)
Eagle
(http://farm1.staticflickr.com/39/108108572_6833c7cc15_z.jpg?zz=1)
Red Kite
(http://farm1.staticflickr.com/47/108108516_eb02fe4a22_z.jpg?zz=1)
Peacock made from old CDs and wire netting
(http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2620/4017192084_4afbddae68_z.jpg)
Heron
(http://farm1.staticflickr.com/56/108108422_23758ad20c_z.jpg?zz=1)
Heron
(http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3520/4017189636_9692990b82_z.jpg)
A good use of edge trimmers and rake
And finally a pheasant that Keith made for us, which is in our garden. The body is an old exhaust pipe and the tail a rusty scythe blade. There is a scaffold clamp, a toothbrush holder among other bits of scrap.
(http://farm1.staticflickr.com/38/108108643_4f9d344255_z.jpg?zz=1)
Eric H
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Those are exceptional designs Eric - very ingenius 8)
And you can recognise what they are intended to represent. I tested myself by looking at the sculpture and then your description below each one ;)
(I didn't cheat - really :D )
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Those are indeed rather special, I am very envious. I shall get Rog to take a look with the hope of him creating something for our garden eventually. Theoretically he is capable, being a retired 'technology' teacher, but acquiring sufficient suitable materials requires persistant dedication to the art of scavenging skips and similar places, and even if one has the skills the equipment may not be to hand. And it did take him three years to finally cobble together my little wooden reindeer last Christmas. After all the wood he collected I was at least expecting a herd of almost lifesize ones :(
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excellent eric i particularly like the red kite, i have welders and metal/old tools etc but the skill i dont think so :-[
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I'm impressed Eric! Absolutely brilliant.
I'll show them to James. We pick up up from school 3 days a week and he's great company in the garden.
Theres a lot of "treasure" in the sheds around here - now theres a challenge to the imagination ;D
I love that Peacock!!! Lots of old CD's here, and theres definitely some netting wire in them thar sheds ;D
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Making these art works seems to be quite a popular pastime. About six months ago we were motoring along a minor road in Buckinghamshire, not far from us. It runs along a ridge and there are lovely views either side so I got out of the car intending to go through a gap in a hedge to take some pictures of the view. Then I noticed these sculptures dotted about, quite unexplained, so I took pictures of them too. The warrior was gazing out from the edge of the field at a view of the Chiltern escarpment.
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8033/8036662611_5ce15177e2_z.jpg)
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8029/8036662957_0d749c07f0_z.jpg)
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8461/8036663419_4f88bf2c0c_z.jpg)
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8460/8036665860_ff1d33c6d0_z.jpg)
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8038/8036665606_2192af0299_z.jpg)
Eric H
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Thanks for posting those photos Eric to keep this thread active again 8)
It's amazing the ingenuity of people who do these sorts of designs.
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And amazing what can be created from a load of old junk ;D
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eric where abouts in bucks are these sculptures, as we maybe coming over in august hopefully and visiting my brother who lives in high wycombe, and if they are not to far out the way i may stop and look, they look awesome and large
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Well there is a coincidence Phil. Where in High Wycombe does your brother live because he can't be too far away from us? Perhaps, if you have time you could pop in for a cup of tea (or something stronger ;)) and I can show you on a map. At the moment I am just playing on my iPad in bed before turning over and going to sleep :), I will look out my OS map tomorrow, scan it, mark it up and post it.
Eric H
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Phil, here is a screenshot from Google earth giving the general location
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8512/8544545378_ac1886e28e_b.jpg)
And here is a more detailed shot showing a more exact location
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8102/8544545472_53f0432a8e_b.jpg)
The invitation to visit still stands :)
Eric H
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Coincidentally, Phil and Eric, I was also checking the map when Phil mentioned this visit.
We are about a 2 hour drive from High Wycombe so it's probably too far away for you Phil to drop into the New Forest. You'd probably need to add about an extra week to your holiday to get all these visits in anyway :D
You could just get to see Eric though :)
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thanks guys, my brother lives in great missenden which is not far from high wycombe, our usual trip consists of
day 1 leave home 4 am ferry and to rugby by 5 pm ish stay at daughters
day 2 mersea island visit mother and sister
day 3 high wycombe
day 4 cheap goods boot fill shopping ;)
day 5 ferry leave at 9 am ferry back home by 10 pm ish
aswell as all this see wifes mum every day and take her to canley crematorium to put flowers down, cant go to my dads ash scattering place as that was silverstone racecourse ;D 8) visit other brother is barby
possible extra day if needed then ferry so visit 5 or 6 days
about 1200 miles later we are back home, i will investigate your map eric thanks
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We go to Great Missenden quite a lot, Phil. We even go to our dentist there. Here is a photo of the church
(http://farm1.staticflickr.com/49/132514591_ff8985f8f0_z.jpg?zz=1)
Eric H
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eric church looks great dentist not so much, when we went to my brothers last we went past a sign post for hunts green, my last name is hunt and i think the hunts have been around wycombe since year dot, i did google it and it came up with variuos suggestions but nothing definative, just wondering if you know of or anything about hunts green
phil
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Hunts Green is a tiny place near The Lee, Phil, which is also pretty small. Both are quite close to Great Missenden on the east side of the Amersham to Wendover road. There is also a Hunts Hill Lane, not far from us. For curiosity I counted the entries for Hunt in the High Wycombe telephone directory and there are 97 so there are a lot of Hunts round here.
Eric H
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We have been in the habit, for approx thirty years now, of making a three yearly visit to a business in nearby Great Kingshill, each time I changed my motability car and needed new hand controls. The ones made by Cowal are the best we have ever found, but I have kept my most recent vehicle for an extra two years so no need to journey southwards for a while. Our son also worked in Amersham for a short while, as part of his Phd iirc.
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Well, I was within a couple of hundred yards of Cowals just four hours ago, Trish. I'd didn't know about them but I have just checked their location on Google.
Eric H
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Don't go too much off-topic guys, try and keep it to the iron scultures if you can please ;)
The links mentioned to Phil's family name here may be worthy of starting another topic for that if Phil wishes to pursue it further.
The added interest being generated since I revived this topic is great, so it's best to keep it on track.
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Sorry, Laurie, we were rather wandering off into the far blue yonder :o
After your very gentle rebuke I will try to bring us back on topic with a couple of bicycle saddles and handlebars. Wonderful what a bit of imagination can do.
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7086/7379438324_f69868eb1a_z.jpg)
Eric H
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[We're all a bit guilty of straying off-topic to some degree (ok in small doses), I just need to crack the whip before it gets too late and the original topic gets lost ;) ]
Anyway, I'll let my imagination go wild a bit here Eric and say those scultures have a slight look of a bulls head. Long face of the saddle and handlebars as horns :-\
Any other suggestions?
Are these from your garden Eric?
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Are these from your garden Eric?
No, Laurie, another shot taken in Keith Wilkins' garden. The only one in our garden is the rusty pheasant shown earlier.
Eric H
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sorry for going off topic my fault i take the blame entirely :-[
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Not a problem Phil.
I've sent you a PM to discuss privately ;)