Boy and Ram

In September 2005, the statue was relocated. It is now in the Riverside Gardens, close to the Council House.

The 'Boy and Ram' by Wilfred Dudeney in the Castlefields Main Centre is now 40 years old. This sculpture, unlike the surrounding buildings, has withstood the rigours of time, but it is to be relocated as part of the Westfield extension to the Eagle Centre. This provides the opportunity for a much needed new setting.

Jane Bevan, Exhibitions Co-ordinator for Q Arts, comments:

'The heart of a busy shopping centre might seem to be an unusual place to find a sculpture. There will be many who rush past and miss it, but those who stop a few moments to look will be well rewarded by this work, 'Boy and Ram' by Wilfred Dudeney.

'Boy and Ram' reminds me of the pose of an American-style bucking bronco, where the foolhardy rider clings on at the back and grips the animal's horns at the front, in a battle of man and beast. Yet here there is no epic struggle, no bravado. The barefoot boy, his hair hanging foppishly over his face, bears a rather bored expression and appears almost to loose interest in his sport. Slightly built, waif-like, somehow almost immortal, he could fly off effortlessly at any moment, like an angel or Peter Pan.

This is one of those works you cannot stand still to admire, but must walk around and see every view offered, despite the strange looks from tired shoppers in the café opposite. The faster you walk around the sculpture the more you become involved in the swirling, playful duo's 'dance'.... the bony elbows and knees protruding, the twisted torso and skinny, fragile limbs held down only by the solid rock base keeping the work firmly anchored to the ground.'

For further information please contact the Built Environment Team:

Telephone 01332 255060  Minicom 01332 256666  Fax 01332 255989  e-mail urban.design@derby.gov.uk