St Marks was a project to complete an amphitheatre constructed by the parents and children of the school. The brief was to add height to the area and involve the children as much as possible through the designs and practical stages of the carving.

I first gave an assembly with a slide show and demonstrated my work tools and processes, then explained their role as designers and sculptors. The residency was for two weeks, not long to make an impression on two and a half tonnes of stone, along with workshops and many classroom visits as well the main face (side view) of the sculpture, a representation of the ‘Green Man’ as a symbol of fertility and growth. The design then spreads around the sculpture to the children's designs and their interpretations of nature. On the other face of the stone is carved the school logo and a short proverb:-

Learn From Yesterday
Live For Today
Hope For Tomorrow

On completion of the residency the Mayor of the London Borough of Ealing, Councillor Philip Portwood unveiled the sculpture on a special day with music and poetry about the stone. The following poem was written and read out by a pupil, Amber Gilbert:-

 Like A Magic Tree With Stories To Be Told
And A Memory To Burst Out
Like A Mysterious Jungle Waiting To Be Explored
By Imaginative Children
Like A Roman Statue, Grey And Old Standing Proudly
Like A Pale Child Looking For Caring Friends
Like A Creepy Forest With Strange Noises Heard
Like A Beautiful Tree In A World Of Wonder

written by Amber Gilbert

10 Day Residency
[Portland Stone]