The Elaine Morgan Statue

Elaine Morgan combined two illustrious careers which are translated into one sculpture by Emma. Elaine was best known as a writer for television until the publication of The Descent of Woman in 1972, which became an inter- national best-seller. She continued to write several books on the topic of human evolution such as The Aquatic Ape (1982) and The Aquatic Ape Hypothesis (1997).

The initial design is inspired by Elaine seated at her desk, where many of her ideas came to life. Emma created a nar- rative within this sculpture.

The seat begins as a wave, flowing around the figure, incorporating details of Elaine’s theories within its surface. The wave then transforms into Elaine’s desk. The white foam of the crest of the wave is created by layers of scripts from Elaine’s screen-writing career and wraps around her creating the form of the desk that she would often be found sat at researching.

Initial working sketches
Sketches of the wave forming the seat, desk and scripts and working out at how to incorporate the figure within the space proportionately.
Crest of the wave
The wave creates the seat which Elaine sits on, incorporating details from her theories of evolution which flow throughout the sculpture.
Crest of the wave
The waves move from the seat to the desk as the tide surges round, forming the underside of the desk and creating folds within the layers of her skirt uniting the two elements of the sculpture and showing that Elaine was immersed within her studies.
Crescendo of the wave
The white foam of the wave forms the desk which transforms into scripts and texts on pages celebrating Elaine’s diverse career. 

When researching Elaine Morgan and watching numerous interviews, Emma was inspired by how relaxed and welcoming Elaine was and wanted to convey this into her sculpture. Emma chose this period of Elaine’s life as this is an iconic image, easily recognisable, and the style is very sculptural which translates perfectly in bronze.