Belisama (2018)

Created in collaboration with artist Tony O’Connell and the Earth Moves Communities.

The Belisama sculpture of the Romano-Celtic Goddess of the Mersey was Toc’s first Community sculpture project for Earth Moves. combining collaborative building and ritual to generate a collectively owned and created image of the Goddess, drawing on multiple influences, including Roman, Celtic, and Minoan. 

A co-design session was held to ask what type of goddess would best represent the group, which consisted of people from different belief systems and cultures, all of whom lived near the River Mersey. 

The pregnant womb of the piece is filled with offerings and dedications from the Earth Moves community, and meditation and dedication were as important to the outcome as visual design. The sculpture has survived years of weather and erosion and has recently been repaired to its current state. This piece encourages recognition of the tension between impermanence and the will to persist.

Funded as one of the community projects for the Lottery Community Fund