Sue Jane Taylor, Piper Alpha Memorial, 1991

Sue Jane Taylor, born in 1960, unveiled this sculpture, made from bronze with gilt and Cottennie granite plinth, in 1991. The memorial, situated in the Queen's Mother's Rose Garden in Hazlehead Park, was to the men killed in the Piper Alpha disaster on 6 July 1998.

With each figure with their back to one another, they represent offshore oil workers. The central figure facing north portrays a mature character. In his left hand, he holds a pool of oil sculpted in the shape of an unwinding spiral form. The black shape in his palm flows into the gold leaf. His right hand points down to the ground, showing the source of crude oil. The carved motif on his helmet, a fish and sea birds design , which symbolises the environment. The figure facing west represents a roustabout drill-deck worker, showing pushing and pulling movements. On his right sleeve is a celtic tree of life motif, the leaves gilt. The figure that faces east wears a survival suit and on his left sleeve is a sea eagle spread winged with a gilt head, native to the North seas. To the rear is a small stone plinth with a cross behind which has an urn of ashes interred within the plinth.

I wanted to include this scuplture to make imaginative use of the castle's display space and also to bring the memorial closer to the edge of the North Sea, i.e. the scene of where the disaster occurred.