Sioban Coppinger (born 1955) is a Canadian-born English sculptor. She has created many sculptures by commission, which stand in locations in Britain.

Life

Coppinger was born in Canada, and studied at the

Bath Academy of Art Bath School of Art and Design is an art college in Bath, England, now known separately as Bath School of Art and Bath School of Design. It forms part of the Bath Spa University whose main campus is located a few miles from the City at Newton Pa ...

in England from 1974 to 1977, gaining an honours degree. She taught at

Downe House School Downe House School is a selective independent girls' day and boarding school in Cold Ash, a village near Newbury, Berkshire, for girls aged 11–18. The '' Good Schools Guide'' described Downe House as an "Archetypal traditional girls' full ...

in Berkshire from 1991 to 1992. She has worked in the field of public sculpture for many years, and has exhibited uncommissioned works. She is a Fellow of the

Royal Society of Sculptors The Royal Society of Sculptors is a British charity established in 1905 which promotes excellence in the art and practice of sculpture. Its headquarters are a centre for contemporary sculpture on Old Brompton Road, South Kensington, London. It ...

, and a Fellow of the

Royal Society of Arts The Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA), also known as the Royal Society of Arts, is a London-based organisation committed to finding practical solutions to social challenges. The RSA acronym is used m ...

Works

Her works include the following: "The Gardener and Truant Lion" is in Station Road,

Stoke Mandeville Stoke Mandeville is a village and civil parish in the Vale of Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire, England. It is located three miles (4.9 km) from Aylesbury and 3.4 miles (5.5 km) from the market town of Wendover. Although a separate civi ...

, Buckinghamshire. Commissioned for the

Chelsea Flower Show The RHS Chelsea Flower Show, formally known as the ''Great Spring Show'',Phil Clayton, ''The Great Temple Show'' in ''The Garden'' 2008, p.452, The Royal Horticultural Society is a garden show held for five days in May by the Royal Horticultural ...

in 1986, it was an element in an exhibit by

British Rail British Railways (BR), which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was a state-owned company that operated most of the overground rail transport in Great Britain from 1948 to 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the Big Four (British ra ...

, whose postwar logo was a lion and wheel; here, the lion has wandered away from his post. The materials used are reinforced concrete and

ferrocement Ferrocement or ferro-cement is a system of construction using reinforced mortar or plaster (lime or cement, sand, and water) applied over an "armature" of metal mesh, woven, expanded metal, or metal-fibers, and closely spaced thin steel rods ...

. The work was afterwards loaned to the

Stoke-on-Trent Garden Festival The Stoke-on-Trent National Garden Festival was the second of Britain's national garden festivals. It was held in the city from 1 May to 26 October 1986, and was opened by the Queen. Preparation of the site involved the reclamation of l ...

of 1986, and then was permanently sited at

Stoke Mandeville railway station Stoke Mandeville railway station serves the village of Stoke Mandeville, south of Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire, England. The station is on the London - Aylesbury line and is served by Chiltern Railways trains. It is between and stations. B ...

. "The Beeston Seat", of 1987, was commissioned by Broxtowe Borough Council, and it is situated in High Road,

Beeston, Nottinghamshire Beeston is a town in the Borough of Broxtowe, Nottinghamshire, England, south-west of Nottingham city centre. To its north-east is the University of Nottingham's main campus, University Park. The pharmaceutical and retail chemist group B ...

. There are two L-shaped hedges; on a bench in the corner of one of them, a statue of an elderly man is seated, with a beekeeper's hat and gloves next to him. In the corner of the other hedge, a beehive and bees are on a tree-stump. The figure was modelled on a friend of the sculptor who could exude calm when others were stressed. The materials used are reinforced concrete and bronze. "Birmingham Man" is a statue of the economist and politician Thomas Attwood in

Chamberlain Square Chamberlain Square or Chamberlain Place is a public square in central Birmingham, England, named after statesman and notable mayor of Birmingham, Joseph Chamberlain. The Victorian square was drastically remodelled in the 1970s, with most of the ...

in Birmingham, unveiled by Priscille Mitchell, Attwood's great-great-granddaughter, in 1993. It was designed in collaboration with Fiona Peever. Attwood is shown sitting on the steps of the square, reading his notes."Thomas Attwood is heading back to Paradise"
''Paradise, Birmingham'', 1 July 2020. Retrieved 28 February 2024.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Coppinger, Sioban 1955 births Living people Alumni of Bath School of Art and Design Fellows of the Royal British Society of Sculptors 20th-century English sculptors 21st-century English sculptors