Harlow has a bit of dodgy reputation, and in my opinion justifiably so. I spent many a bleak weekend shopping in Harlow town, wandering the park on summer days and slipping through fences to get to the park at night. I remember nights out at the Square which began, because we were underage, with value bottles of cider in the hosiptal car park. When it got to cold for that we used to sit on a heater at the back of the building before we were drunk enough to go in. 'Bleak' is the word that comes to mind.
Harlow has decided it is high time to change its reputation and that the way to do this is through its sculpture. Harlow does have some surprisingly brilliant sculpture; Henry Moores, a Rodin, and a Babara Hepworth are among just a few of the gems you will find strewn across the town. Fair enough, it's time we acknowledged the sculpture, but the sheep that are dotted about the town? I just can't figure them out. If they want people to take sculpture seriously these sheep are not the answer. I see the Moore-sheep connection, and somebody was clever enough to realise that Henry Moore is the celebrity of the sculpture collection, but perhaps a more subtle approach would have been better. The average high-pony Harlow shopper comes out of the BHS cafe and blankly stares at an orange sheep, baffled. It looks like Harlow Town Council have embarked on a wild sheep chase.
I liked his post a lot. Bleak is a word we can use to describe so much of post-war Britain isn't it. Harlow is not alone there. Giggled at the thought of a shopper coming out of BHS cafe & being baffled over an orange sheep. Very good post.
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