In Icarus Fell (Amid Feathers), I wanted to revisit the Greek myth of Icarus, but rather than focusing solely on the tragedy of his fall, I was interested in the courage, excitement and sheer ambition that led him to take flight in the first place.

I’ve always found something very human about the story of Icarus. It’s about wanting to go further, reaching beyond what we know, and sometimes taking risks simply because the possibility of achieving something extraordinary is too tempting to resist.

The life-size bronze figure captures Icarus at that fleeting moment between flight and falling. His body twists, his arms are thrown wide, and there’s an almost joyful, dancing quality to his movement. I wanted to leave a little ambiguity in the pose. Is he falling helplessly, or is he still embracing the exhilaration of flight?

The individually sculpted feathers surrounding him are an important part of the composition. They suggest his wings coming apart, but they also create a sense of movement and energy. I particularly liked the idea of the feathers reaching upwards while Icarus begins his descent, creating a tension between rising and falling.

Although we all know how the story ends, I didn’t want the sculpture to feel entirely tragic. For me, there’s something uplifting about Icarus’s determination to fly, even if his ambition ultimately proves to be his undoing.

Icarus Fell was made in 2021 for the annual exhibition ‘FORM’, at Sculpture By The Lakes in Dorset.