The Mysterious Stone Heads in The Undercroft. Queen Anne Court, Old Royal Naval College, Greenwich.
Have you ever had the sensation that you are being watched every time you enter a historical masterpiece of a religious temple? A memory that sprang to mind was one of my excursions to Gothic churches, where statues with expressive forms were part of the architecture and art. Almost every expression felt alive. Every time I looked at a statue, I hoped to see it move, except in reality, there was nothing but silence and mystery. And thus set in motion the following scenario, which could play out in The Undercroft and spark some imaginative life. So, you walk into the room and all you see is moving eyeballs that glance at each other and talk silently.
They have secret chats and murmurs about stories and things they have only witnessed throughout the eras. I wanted to build something that would slow people down and allow them to contemplate on history and untold stories with perhaps a funny twist.
So, the enigmatic Stone Heads were Neptune, Galatea, and other deep dwellers who were originally meant for display on the Painted Hall’s south elevation. The architect eventually decided that bricks would be used instead of stone, and this decision abandoned and forgotten the Heads.
See the video below.
