Stonewater Housing , Herefordshire
Orchard is a new public sculpture created for a sustainable housing development in Herefordshire. It was the result of a competition held by Stonewater Housing. The winning design was for a figurative sculpture which which incorporated the natural environment into its design. The surrounding area of the housing development is a very beautiful countryside, and an existing orchard was retained in the new development.
Stonewater was for many years led by a man who was a great patron of the Arts, and when he passed away the association continued his legacy by commissioning sculptures for each of the major housing developments they developed. Like many of my sculptures, Orchard has an openness which allows the environment to enter within and collaborate with the sculpture itself.
Most of my public artworks incorporate drawings developed in workshops with local communities. This gives the final sculpture a connection to the local area and gives the community a sense of ownership as well as creating a sense of identity and place.
In the case of Orchard, there was not yet a community of people living there as yet, since the housing development was only just being built. Therefore Klein incorporated aspects of the architectural designs for housing and the natural environment of the site into the sculpture.
The artwork is defined by a thick drawing made in rolled aluminium tube which is then welded to a laser cut aluminium detailed drawing of the people and their houses. All of the houses on the new development are affordable and sustainable, with renewable energy sources and the residents will be given a choice between shared ownership and rental. The sculpture will be placed at the entrance to a new Community Orchard being created for the 140 families who will live there.
The artwork is scheduled to be installed at the site in Clehonger, a pastoral village just outside of Hereford, in May 2026.
