Artist's sculpture celebrating Rotherham's heritagemade possible by young apprentices

Artist James Capper’s Camellia has attracted plenty of attention since being installed in All Saints’ Square.

It followed community involvement through children designing images to be stencilled into the base — and was constructed by young workers at MTL Advanced in Brinsworth.

James said: “We developed a fantastic outreach project for it and the apprentices have excelled themselves producing it.

“Local industry has pulled together to get the apprentices to make it.”

Camellia is the second in a series of works inspired by nature and was brought to Rotherham by Gallery Town, which aims to stimulate economic regeneration of the town centre by delivering a unique cultural experience, installing more than 100 works of art in key locations.

The Gallery Town project, launched in 2011, is led by Nicholas Associates Group, Barnsley and Rotherham Chamber of Commerce, Cannon PR, Dame Julie Kenny, MTL Advanced, and Rotherham Council.

Camellia was commissioned by Gallery Town and supported by Arts Council England, Yorkshire Sculpture Park and the council.

James said: “The most exciting thing is the collaboration with people, the openness to other people’s points of perspective.

“I am honoured to be invited by Gallery Town to work in the town with such engineering industry.

“I think what Gallery Town are doing is a wonderful thing.”

James hopes that Camellia will “bolster the rich engineering history of Rotherham” by celebrating the town’s industrial heritage.

The colourful sculpture was unveiled in the town centre in May and is due to be moved onto Forge Island once the long-awaited cinema regeneration project there is completed next year.