SOMETIMES I worry that we are in danger of making some kind of God out
of communication. Of course it is both important and satisfying to be
able to express ourselves effectively by word of mouth and pen but has
the modern emphasis on the rather ponderous term ''communicative
skills'' frightened people away?
There certainly must be something wrong somewhere because self
confidence with regard to the spoken and written word has been stifled
in a great many people. I am constantly running across perfectly
articulate people who confess themselves shamefacedly to having no skill
with words.
The other day I was talking to someone who fits this category exactly.
''I'm not good with words. I have to work myself into them and sometimes
I am inarticulate. It takes years to develop skill with words.''
Thus spake Eoghan Bridge, in whom I have to say I detected not the
slightest suggestion of inarticulateness.
He has been commissioned by Cala Properties to provide an equestrian
statue to stand outside Rutland Court in the West End of Edinburgh. Such
a task is an enormous responsibility since it will be the first
equestrian statue to be erected in Edinburgh for 70 years -- and the
city's ninth.
Eoghan contrasts his imaginary lack of skill with words with his
instinctive skill with his hands and the need to create something that
can be looked at. ''I find it easier to communicate my thoughts and
feelings visually.''
There is more in the genes than is often admitted to. Eoghan had
inherited his clay modelling skills from his sculptor father who in
common with many parents, except for lawyers and doctors, did his best
to dissuade his son from following in his footsteps. All was in vain and
Eoghan progressed from working in clay to working his in favourite
medium -- bronze.
Not only does he specialise in bronze but, more unusually, he
specialises in equestrian statues. A mixture of things give rise to
this. He likes horses, he admires them visually and has a fascination
for their symbolism throughout history. The addition of a rider depicts
man's historical interdependence with the horse.
As a sculptor Eoghan likes to think big. His present commission gives
him exceptional pleasure because it will be large and it will be
displayed in the open air. Not only is this the perfect circumstance in
which to view a piece of sculpture, but it will be readily accessible to
the populous.
Eoghan dislikes elitism in art. ''It should not be necessary to have
an intellectual background to appreciate a work of art. Art should
attempt to cross new boundaries but be accessible to all, as a
successful piece should have something to say to everyone and should be
able to operate at several levels.''
Certainly an equestrian statue is something that everyone will feel
free to express an opinion of. This is at once a good and a bad thing --
good because it is important for the survival of art for people to
respond to it, bad because it will occasion such a lot of hot air.
It is a racing certainty, if you will give the equestrian pun, that
the people of Edinburgh will have much to say about any new equestrian
statue. Shortage of communicative skills will not be their problem. They
will consider that it's their city and their heritage and they will want
to talk about it.
Thus Edinburgh has double cause to thank Eoghan Bridge. They will have
a new statue to grace their city -- vital, powerful and blessedly
non-military, to judge from the model -- and they will have an artistic
topic to talk and write about that will keep them occupied for weeks.
Not bad for a non-communicator!
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article