Commission Story — Arup Architects

Nine Stone Columns along the River Aire

I was approached by Arup Architects to carve a series of nine stone columns for a memorial walk along the River Aire in Leeds – a route created in memory of one of their colleagues.  Each stone would hold a carving of a different species of wildlife found in or around the river, forming points of interest along the newly improved path.

What I loved most about this commission was its sense of purpose.  It was so much more than creating public artworks; it was about connecting people to the landscape they were moving through and remembering someone who helped shape that very environment.

A walk that invites discovery

The stones are set at 100 metre intervals long a wide, newly surfaced route beside the river.  The walk beings near Thwaite Mills Watermill, where the path crosses the Knostrop Bridge (spanning the impressive moveable weir built for the Leeds Flood Alleviation Scheme), linking the Trans Pennine Trail to the north bank of the river.  At the opposite end, the river meets the Aire and Calder Navigation, leading the trail onwards into the heart of Leeds.

Placed along this stretch, the stones act as quiet markers, encouraging walkers, cyclists, and families to pause, notice and learn.  Each carving invites a moment of curiosity:  What species is this?  Why is it significant her? How does it live alongside the river?

The walk becomes a journey not just from one place to another, but through the living ecology of the waterway.

Carving Nature into stone

Each column is round in form, with a circular hollow at the front holding the carved motif. The top is chamfered and finished with a plaque, etched with an illustration of the species and designed so visitors – especially children – can take wax or pencil rubbings as a tactile way of engaging with the artwork.

Every carving highlights a different species, chosen to reflect the diversity of life supported by the river: birds, mammals, fish, plants, invertebrates – each one a small chapter in the wider story of the Aire’s habitat.

It was important to me that the carvings felt alive, not just symbolic.  The forms are simple, natural and intentionally touchable – stone that invites the hand as much as the eye.

A collaboration rooted in respect

Throughout the project I worked closely with Arup’s Senior Landscape Architect and Senior Consultant.  Their dedication to creating this walk in honour of their colleague brought a thoughtful, human dimension to the work.

This public art commission was a tribute to someone they admired, whose contributions shaped the waterways and infrastructure around Leeds.  The carvings offer a way for others to appreciate the landscape that he helped bring into being.

For Arup the installation stands as a physical and lasting expression of gratitude, and for those walking the riverside path it becomes a way to engage with the environment and notice the life it holds.

And for me as the maker, it was a privilege to shape stone into a story that connects memory, place and the natural world.