HRH The Duke of Kent KG unveils Surrey Stag
Wednesday 25 February 2009
An iconic piece of artwork has been officially unveiled today (25 February) by HRH The Duke of Kent KG at the University of Surrey.
The University commissioned artist Allan Sly, to design and produce a sculpture of the University logo - a stag with a key, for the site entrance. The stag denotes the medieval royal park on which the main campus is built, and the key is both a relic of the former crest of Battersea Polytechnic (with all its educational symbolism) and a borrowing from Surrey’s county coat of arms. Due to the size of the structure, which is an impressive five metres tall, the Surrey Stag needed to incorporate a specialist steel structure. Enlisting the help of engineer and fabricator experts, Craufurd Technology, ensured the final design was structurally viable and maximised the movement of the material.
The Surrey Stag is one of the largest structures that Sly has worked on. He said: “I developed the design to be easily recognisable as the crest of the University of Surrey on a scale that suited the entrance. I wanted it to be free to move and light it from the inside, so stainless steel sheet dictated the final design. The end result is very successful and will be even more impressive at night.”
The Surrey Stag made a careful journey from the workshop to the University campus without its antlers. This was to avoid colliding with bridges on the M25 and A3, where some of the clearances were as close as seven inches. Fixed to a granite base, the final height of the Surrey Stag is over 6.5 metres high.
Professor Christopher Snowden, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Surrey, said: “After 45 years we felt that it was time to freshen up the entrance to the University. Our heritage is linked closely to the stag which now appears as our visual identity. The Surrey Stag is both a testament to our support of the arts and public art, plus a proud link to the heritage of the University and its location on Stag Hill.”
Media Enquiries
Peter La, Press Office at the University of Surrey, Tel: +44 (0)1483 689191, or Email mediarelations@surrey.ac.uk
