'The Shared' and 'Cornerstone' by Austin Emery

'The Shared' (2014).

'The Shared' was a collaboration between the sculptor Austin Emery, Leathermarket JMB (Southwark's largest resident-managed housing organisation), and the local community.

In October 2012 free, open stone sculpting workshops took place on Tyers Estate, with over 100 members of the public, both adult and child alike, creating their own pieces of sculpture.

To make the sculpture whole, much like a community, Austin Emery joined the pieces together to form 'The Shared' totem-like sculpture, which now stands on the Tyers Estate.

Austin then added his own embellishments and crafted animal habitats within the piece.

Needle of Thutmose III

 

A piece of Egypt in London.

As you walk along the Victoria Embankment, outside of the quaint Victoria Embankment Gardens, there stands an Egyptian Needle made of granite. 

It is flanked by two bronze fake Egyptian sphinxes, which stare towards the needle, rather than having their backs to it in a typical guarding posture. This, apparently, was due to an error when they were installed.

My eldest, Alysha, sits with the undamaged sphinx.

On close inspection you can see shrapnel damage, in one of the sphinx, from when a bomb was dropped during a German air raid, in 1917, which detonated close to the needle.

Shrapnel Damage.

Also, the benches along the Victoria Embankment have winged sphinxes as armrests, which adds even more of an Egyptian feel to the area. 

One of the Egyptian styled benches that can be found along Victoria Embankment.

This bench uses Camels as the armrests.