A GIANT sculpture entitled “A Head On With The Future” which headlined at this year’s Glastonbury Music Festival has been relocated to the British Ironwork Centre in Oswestry as part of a national tour.

The sculpture has been created from scrap metal from the automotive, oil and gas and agriculture industries, including a petrol tanker, a 1957 Bentley car and a Q4 military truck.

Filled with living plants, the sculpture weighs over three tonnes and reaches a height of 19 feet and was inspired by nature and its ability to recover even in the face of so much worldwide adversity.

Clive Knowles, chairman of the British Ironwork Centre, said: "Our Shropshire Sculpture Park is attracting more and more national sculptors who want to use the parkland to exhibit their artwork.

"We don’t charge artists and there is no commission required for us to exhibit their works.

"There are also no costs charged for unloading and for siting the artworks.

"What we didn’t really fully appreciate in the beginning was how few sculpture parks or exhibit facilities there are available throughout the UK for artists to showcase their work, especially for large sculptures, and the options available to artists are very limited.

"We wanted to offer our centre as a platform for artists to be able to showcase their work and to reach a wider audience for their art and their message.”

The artist behind the sculpture is Mark Vanaria, originally from Australia but now lives in the UK.

He wanted to pay homage to the Aboriginal people and peoples of the world that have suffered under colonial powers and that have been pushed from their lands.

Mark was specifically drawn to the British Ironwork Centre to exhibit his artwork as the centre has become nationally known for its work with sculptures, particularly those created from waste or redundant materials.

This enormous sculpture is planned to be on display at the Ironworks for 12 months before moving on to another sculpture park, hopefully in the north of England.

“A Head On With The Future” can now be viewed at the British Ironwork Centre at www.britishironworkcentre.co.uk/

If you are an artist wanting to showcase your artwork or sculpture, please contact the British Ironwork Centre at info@britishironworkcentre.co.uk