Nature-inspired Maid Marian sculpture unveiled

A new sculpture of Maid Marian, the heroine of the Robin Hood legend, has been unveiled in Nottingham.

The sculpture was commissioned as part of an £8.97m government-funded project to revamp the Maid Marian Way island, which saw the roundabout turned into a T-junction.

Polish artist Alicja Biala was selected by Nottingham City Council to create the sculpture, which sits a short walk from the bronze Robin Hood which was installed outside Nottingham Castle in 1952.

On Friday, the new statue - a silhouette of Maid Marian inspired by nature - was unveiled at the Maid Marian Way junction with Upper Parliament Street.

Biala worked with local people who picked Nottingham's native flora and used it to form part of the artwork.

The flora was used to create wax moulds, many of which were cast in bronze to use on the sculpture.

The artist said while there had already been numerous depictions of Maid Marian in popular culture, including films and television series, she wanted to "escape from that".

Instead, she said, she wanted to create an "open" vision, giving local people an opportunity to put their stamp on the city.

"Every single piece that you see on the sculpture has been done by someone local.

"They came in, brought their plant and brought in their story.

"The way I want people to see it is a Maid Marian woven from different narratives."

Nottingham City Council previously said the artwork was also part of a commitment to address the "under-representation" of women in public sculpture in the UK.

Research published in 2018 found that of 828 statues recorded by the Public Monuments and Sculpture Association, just 174 of them were female. Of these, 80 were of named women.

"I just think it's fantastic that this is a sculpture of a woman and made by a woman. I do think it's a positive thing," Biala said.

Tom Huggon, a retired lawyer and campaigner for green spaces, attended the unveiling on Friday.

"It's brilliant because it combines not only the figure of Maid Marian but also all the greenery. It's so delicate too," Huggon said.

Huggon, who is also Nottingham's official honorary Town Crier, added: "One of the difficulties is that Robin Hood has always been regarded as the dominant personality of the two.

"But there are so many different legends, you know, who was Maid Marian? But here she is commemorated."

Arts charity BACKLIT, which worked closely with Biala, has also launched an exhibition called 'Our Marian' at its gallery near Sneinton Market in Nottingham.

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