The Arc Sculpture

On brick plinths, two figures stand with their feet on either side of two steel arcs. The figures are fully extended and

are attempting to bend the arc so that they meet at the top. For seven decades, the sculpture was the first significant

public art commission from a municipal body in the region. Wrexham Maelor Borough Council, the Arts Council of

Wales, the Iron & Steel Trades Confederation, and the Welsh Development Agency all provided sponsorship. The

sculpture was meant to represent the town’s industrial past while also enhancing Lord Street’s pedestrianised layout.

The plan started in April 1992 after the council decided to look into potential artwork for the municipality. Several

locations, including access roads, parks and gardens, industrial complexes, and town halls, were taken into

consideration after consulting with local organisations.

In October 1994 it was decided to locate the work of art in Lord Street which was shortly to be refurbished.

Artworks Wales was invited to advise the council and to assist in drawing up a shortlist of suitable artists/sculptors.

A judging panel, which included representatives of local arts organisations, was set up to consider the work of 38

artists and sculptors who had expressed interest in the scheme.A four-person shortlist was created, and each was

asked to present before the panel of judges in February 1995. David Annand received an invitation to take on the

Lord Street artwork at the end of the presentations. A steel worker and a miner are shown, and the arc symbolises

the region’s industrial past. Coordination between the industries to accomplish shared objectives is symbolised by

the attempt to bend the arc to meet at the summit. Engraved on the arc is a poem in Welsh by Myrddin Ap Dafydd

from Llanrwst that describes the labour and humanity of manual labour.