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The work was commissioned to mark the refurbishment of the Brynmor Jones Library. The design is based on one of Philip Larkin's early poems, 'The North Ship' (1944) and incorporates lines of Larkin's poetry taken from Philip Larkin's 1981 poem 'Bridge for the living', one of the last he wrote, commissioned to celebrate the Humber Bridge. The relevant verse reads: "While scattered on steep seas, ice crusted ships Like errant birds carry her loneliness, A lighted memory no miles eclipse, A harbour for the heart against distress." The representation of the toad must also relate to Larkin, as a reference to his 1954 poem 'Toads', which is considered by many to be one of his best, the toad being, for Larkin, a literary metaphor for the unappealing nature of work.
University of Hull
Hull
Title
The Library Toad
Date
2015
Medium
plastic composite
Measurements
H 100 x W 120 x D 124 cm (E)
Accession number
ARTUK12
Acquisition method
commissioned by the University of Hull, 2015
Work type
Sculpture
