Monumental Stainless Steel Figurative Sculpture
Grade 316 stainless steel
Approx. height: 8 ft / 2.4 m
Part of a six-sculpture site-specific commission
Installed beside a public footpath, Isle of Man
Original six-piece commission: approximately £100,000 + VAT
Prodigal Son forms part of a major six-piece sculptural commission created to tell the biblical story of the Prodigal Son through a sequence of monumental contemporary sculptures.
The complete collection consists of the father, the son, a calf and three pigs. Each sculpture was designed to work as an individual artwork while contributing to a larger narrative unfolding across the landscape.
The works are now positioned beside a public footpath, allowing people to encounter the story gradually as they move through the site. Rather than being viewed together as a single installation, the sculptures become a series of moments discovered along a journey.
A moment of recognition
The figure represents the son at the lowest point in his story.
Having left home and exhausted his inheritance, he finds himself working among pigs and begins to recognise the consequences of the decisions he has made. His bowed head, inward posture and hands drawn towards his face suggest exhaustion, regret and isolation.
However, this is also the turning point in the narrative. It is the moment before he decides to return home and seek reconciliation with his father. The sculpture therefore holds both despair and the possibility of hope.
Standing approximately eight feet tall, the figure has a deliberately monumental presence. Yet the posture is withdrawn rather than heroic. The shoulders fold forwards and the head bows, allowing a physically imposing sculpture to communicate vulnerability and emotional weight.
Drawing the figure in stainless steel
The sculpture was constructed from Grade 316 stainless-steel rod, built up through a network of individually formed and welded lines.
Rather than enclosing the body with a solid surface, the open construction draws the figure into space. The surrounding landscape, changing sky and movement of people remain visible through the sculpture, allowing it to feel connected to its setting despite its substantial scale.
The head and feet are more densely worked, drawing attention towards the emotional centre of the figure. From a distance, the overall silhouette and posture are immediately recognisable; viewed more closely, the individual pieces of steel, welds and overlapping lines reveal the physical process through which the figure was created.
Changing daylight moves across the reflective stainless steel, continually altering the sculpture’s appearance. This interaction with light, weather and landscape is an important part of the work and helps the figure remain visually responsive to its environment.
A story experienced through the landscape
Positioning the sculptures beside a public footpath allows the narrative to be experienced as a physical journey.
The son can be understood as an individual figure, but its meaning develops further through its relationship with the other sculptures. The pigs represent his hardship and isolation, while the father and calf point towards his eventual return, forgiveness and reconciliation.
Encountering the works separately encourages visitors to make these connections for themselves. The landscape and the movement between sculptures become part of how the story is understood.
Developed closely with the client
The commission was developed through close collaboration with the client.
Numerous drawings and design ideas were explored before the final compositions were selected. Sculptural maquettes were then created to consider the posture, proportions and emotional character of each figure, as well as the relationships between the six individual works.
This process was particularly important because the sculptures needed to function both independently and as parts of a coherent collection. The client’s ideas,