Blitz Timber 3

Just to the north of Anthony Gormley's sculptures on Crosby beach is the Brick Beach. Here, the rubble of the Blitz on Liverpool was deposited to act as a defence against coastal erosion. For many years I have walked that beach, picking up curiously gnarled pieces of timber. At first I thought they were driftwood, etched into sculptural shapes by the sea, but I came to realise that they were being revealed by the wind and sea from the war rubble I was walking on. It dawned on me that these weren't just bits of wood, these wormeaten pieces of door frame and floorboard, some showing the marks of fire, were part of the history of my home town. I decided to give these beautiful historical remnants of the bombed homes of past Liverpudlians a new lease of life as coat racks. Each has been dried, cleaned up (but not too much), planed flat at the back, treated with preservative, and fitted with hardwood hooks. What I love about this piece is that it is so obviously one side of an old sash window frame, with a central groove for the window to run up and down, and the two cutouts for the pulleys of the sash rope. I have carved seven different sized teardrop shapes from reclaimed oak to span the groove, and given it a waxed finish. L 1310mm x W 100mm x D 60mm.