Context & Credits
Item Regardless of History
Created by Bill Woodrow
As seen in UCSF, Parnassus Avenue, San Francisco, CA
Regardless of History
Sculptures by Bill Woodrow, as seen in UCSF, Parnassus Avenue, San Francisco, CA
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Item Details
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.