Art project celebrating Cornish landscape unveiled

The picture shows an aerial drone shot of a circular labyrinth near a body of water. There are lots of paths separated by low hedges and walls. At the centre there is a small circular area with a man and a dog stood. Image source, PA Media
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The project will be unveiled to the public on 21 March

  • Published

A Cornish labyrinth permanent public art project has been unveiled to coincide with the Spring equinox.

The creation is made from traditional Cornish hedging built using 140,000 granite stones, and has been unveiled at Colliford Lake on Bodmin Moor.

The work called Kerdroya took five years to complete and was laid by hand across 445 metres (1460ft).

Creator Will Coleman said it was not just a place to visit but a place "to reflect, to reconnect, and to celebrate Cornwall's landscape and spirit."

The picture shows a drone aerial shot looking straight down at a circular labyrinth. There are lots of paths separated by low hedges and walls. At the centre there is a small circular area. There is lots of greenery in the surrounding area.Image source, PA Media
Image caption,

The creator said "every stone laid carried a story"

He said the project which was built using traditional Cornish stone hedging techniques, was a tribute to the craft and celebrates Cornwall's wild landscape.

Mr Coleman, who previously created a giant mechanical puppet of a Cornish miner called the Man Engine, said the work was "communal, spiritual and educational" and "every stone laid carried a story."

"It's our landscape and our heritage, woven together, for the next 4000 years."

He said the name Kerdroya was taken from historical turf mazes and that its important to distinguish the difference between a maze and a labyrinth.

"In a maze you get lost, but in a labyrinth you find yourself."

A picture of a man and a dog stood in the middle of the labrynth playing an instrument with the Cornish flag waving behind him. His dog is sat down next to him. They are surrounded by a solid wall with trees and a bed of water. Image source, PA Media
Image caption,

Mr Coleman said the project celebrates Cornwall's landscape and spirit

Visitors can walk along the 750m (2461ft) path and read messages from hedge pledgers, individuals, and organisations who have supported the campaign.

The centrepiece of the exhibit was created by Thomas and Gary Thrussell.

Thomas described it as the "beating heart and focal point" of Kerdroya.

He said it offers a "point to ponder and think about the journey you have been on."

The project opens to the public on 21 March.

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