Sculptures by Bill Woodrow, as seen in UCSF, Parnassus Avenue, San Francisco, CA

Regardless of History

Bill Woodrow is British sculptor who created this monument at UCSF, Parnassus Avenue. Titled Regardless of History, this piece is a quarter scale version of a sculpture with the same title created for the empty fourth plinth in Trafalgar Square in London, England. It depicts a head, a fallen monument, with a book resting on it and a tree, the roots of which are growing over everything and holding it to the plinth below. By placing the book over the head’s ear and the tree roots over the head’s eyes, Bill implies that mankind listens to history but cannot see the lessons. We carry on ‘regardless of history’—an appropriate symbol and reminder for the entrance to a library. However, the work also evokes the theme of human frailty and of the strength and importance of knowledge and understanding.

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Bill Woodrow

inUCSF, Parnassus Avenue, San Francisco, CA

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Meet the Creator

Bill Woodrow

London, United Kingdom

“Is a British sculptor. Woodrow was one of a number of British sculptors to emerge in the late 1970s on to the international contemporary art scene, together with fellow artists like Richard Deacon and Tony Cragg. Materials found in dumps, used car lots and scrap yards formed the raw materials for his early works; by partly embedding them in plaster, he made them seem as if they had been excavated. Subsequently, he turned to large consumer goods like cars and refrigerators. He cut into their surface material and whilst leaving this material attached to the original object, manipulated it into new forms. He held his first solo exhibition at Whitechapel Art Gallery in London in 1972.
For more information see the artist’s website: ww.billwoodrow.com.”