Child enjoying The Shard Garden for Felix Dennis

York stone standing stone by Martin Cook and Gary Breeze

Felix Dennis Shard Garden by Martin Cook and Gary Breeze

I have recently finished making The Shard Garden for the late publisher Felix Dennis.  I collaborated with artist Gary Breeze to make the 46 standing stones, each with incised poetry by Felix Dennis.  The garden is know as ‘The Shard Garden’.  The shards are made from Caithness stone, Limestone, Cumbrian slate, York stone, aluminium, bronze, glass and oak.

 

The project started with discussions with Felix Dennis.  He wanted the garden to look as though random shapes had been dropped to earth from the Heavens and stuck into the ground.  The idea seemed crazy but with long discussions, many mock-ups and head scratching we reached the finished item.  Many of the standing stones were shaped here at my Buckinghamshire studio and then moved on to Gary Breezes studio where we jointly incised each shard with over 60 of Felix Dennis’s poems.

 

The end result is fantastic and a great legacy to the late Felix Dennis.  He wanted it to be a place where people could wander from standing stone to standing stone reading and reflecting on his muses.  Some poems are amusing and shocking, others profound and moving.  The cut grass pathway finally leads to a sculpture of Felix Dennis, by Andrew Sinclair, holding the millionth oak tree that he planted in his Heart of England forest.

 

It was an honor to know and work with Felix Dennis on many occasions and we are proud of the magnificent, thought provoking, Shard Garden.

Felix Dennis poetry carved into York stone standing stone by Martin Cook and Gary Breeze

York stone standing stone in The Shard Garden

Child enjoying Opening of The Shard Garden

York stone standing in The Shard Garden by Martin Cook and Gary Breeze

The Shard Garden by Martin Cook and Gary Breeze

Martin Cook at the opening of The Shard Garden Felix Dennis

The Shard Garden

Limestone standing stone by Martin Cook and Gary Breeze in The Shard Garden

Felix Dennis Poetry carved into Oak shard

Oak shard in The Shard Garden by Martin Cook and Gary Breeze

Oak standing stone by Martin Cook and Gary Breeze

Oak standing stone at The Shard Garden

The making of The Shard Garden by Martin Cook and Gary Breeze

The early making of The Shard Garden by Martin Cook and Gary Breeze

Martin Cook and Gary Breeze working on the design of The Shard Garden

Martin Cook and Gary Breeze in the making of The Shard Garden

Martin Cook Studio

Martin Cook lettercarver speaking at the opening of The Shard Garden

The Shard Garden

Marble standing stone by Martin Cook and Gary Breeze

The Felix Dennis Shard Garden by Martin Cook and Gary Breeze

Sculpture of Felix Dennis at The Shard Garden

Carved standing stone by Martin Cook and Gary Breeze

The Shard Garden by Martin Cook and Gary Breeze

Marble carved lettered standing stone by Martin Cook and Gary Breeze

The Shard Garden by letter carver Martin Cook and Gary Breeze

The Felix Dennis Shard Garden by Martin Cook and Gary Breeze

Lettered standing shard at The Shard Garden by Martin Cook and Gary Breeze