Covid Memorial
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On 24th April a Covid Memorial sculpture was unveiled at Nottingham Road Cemetery. It is situated at the side of the Chapel, by the Garden of Remembrance.
It was created by Artist, Richard Janes.
Artist's description of the sculpture:
The sculpture is a reflective exploration of the shared experience of the Coronavirus Pandemic and lockdown, as well as a quiet space to remember loved ones. The design of the artwork came from working with the Friends of Nottingham Road Cemetery, local primary school pupils and college students, Voices in Action youth group and Derby City Council. The wing design is a modern inspiration reflecting the more traditional Victorian angels found in the Cemetery and the gothic arched gravestones. The birds, bubbles, hands and butterflies were all strong repeating themes in the design sessions, as was the use of colour, as represented in the stained-glass sections. It was important that the sculpture be a space for reflection and so part of the sculpture forms a seat. The designs on the seat are based on continents and countries, as the pandemic was truly global and people represented this in their ideas. The central section has a bronze disc which has many smaller relief sculptures which were created during the design sessions.
Richard said: "Being given the opportunity to reflect on the shared experience of the coronavirus pandemic and lockdown with so many people - young and old, has been amazing. Bringing together memories both good and bad and forging them into a sculpture which will be a space for people to reflect and remember those times and those to come, has been a privilege.”
The sculpture has been funded through the Our City, Our River project as part of its commitment to environmental and other improvements along the river corridor.
Our City Our River (OCOR), Derby's flood alleviation project, is led by Derby City Council in partnership with the Environment Agency.
The project has also funded Spring flowering bulbs in the cemetery and work on the crowns of the many old trees along the cemetery’s avenues.
