The Pilgrim by Glen Morris.

While I was at Strata Florida I noticed a figure on the horizon.....on the nearest hill- top behind the Abbey! 





noticed a figure on the horizon.

I asked the staff at the Abbey how long had this been there? as I had not noticed it on my last visit....It turns out it was part of an organised event, about a month or so ago. Something to do with a University, but I am sadly not up to speed on news and events happening locally and don't know any details. All I really do know it was made by Glen Morris.
'I've got to have a closer look, how do I get up to it?'
'If you go along the lane, over a stile on the left and just climb up the hillside should take you about 25 mins to get there', was the reply.

So I walked off with my camera...couldn't see a stile but climbed over a rusty metal gate into a field of sheep and went up.

 


my fist view of the Pilgrim


It was so steep I could not see the top of the hill and I walked past the sculpture without knowing it. When I did see it I could make out what I thought were tufts of wool blowing in the very strong wind. I thought the sheep must have brushed against it or something? Then as I got closer I could see tufts of wool all over the sculpture. I thought that was an odd but somehow relevant detail as the hillside was covered in sheep.



The Pilgrim By Glen Morris



I was so impressed with this work. I realised I had been on a micro pilgrimage to reach it. This figure striding through the landscape searching for something significant seemed to me to represent myself, and probably you as well on a journey, looking for some kind of awakening.

The backdrop was spectacular and would have been worth seeing on its own. I'm not saying I could see the Holy-Land but it made me think that we had forgotten the instructions on how to live on the earth.....You know it's supposed to be a two way thing...we breath out what trees breath in, and trees breath in what we breath out! 

 And maybe this pilgrim was also our Grandfather

When I got back to the Abbey I explained how good the sculpture was and that the tufts of wool were a odd but thought provoking detail making an earthy connection to mankind and the natural world.

'Oh I think he was wearing a woollen coat or sheep's fleece when he was made' was the reply.

Well...that does make sense as the wind was so strong up there it had blown his coat away. It was so windy up there I was unable to stand upright and take photographs. If you look they are totally out of focus where I was buffeted so strongly by the wind, unless I was laying flat on the ground.  

A great piece of work and really glad I made the effort to walk up to it.