Octopus Ahoy! is full steam ahead for its Liverpool Street residence as ‘Journey of a Thousand Stars’ sculpture sets up port at the station from Wednesday 30th June. The sculpture, sponsored by Dura Composites, set ‘rail’ on its epic journey to the iconic landmark on Tuesday 29th June aboard a Greater Anglia train, before being set on its plinth around platform 13, where the majority of trains leave the capital for Tendring.
The stunning ‘Journey of a Thousand Stars’ design, envisaged and painted by the hugely popular artist, Mik Richardson, commemorates the amazing journey of the Mayflower 400 from England to America in 1620, using just the stars and constellations to navigate by. The sculpture will remain in place through to the end of the public art trail on 5th September before it goes up for auction for charity.
Octopus Ahoy! is in celebration of Harwich Mayflower 400 and 150 years of Clacton and is delivered on behalf of Tendring District Council in partnership with KAT Marketing.
Stuart Burns, Managing Director at Dura Composites, said: “We were happy to support the project as Liverpool Street really is the gateway to Tendring for commuters and tourists alike. The rail network needs our support like any other business and getting people back exploring the region by train can only be good for everyone. Mik’s imagining of the Mayflower 400’s expedition really struck a chord with our whole team and is the perfect sculpture to be in London signposting the way to the stunning art trail, which is set to enliven the whole of Tendring this summer.”
Katie Skingle, Director of KAT Marketing said, “With the stay-cation summer in front of us, this trail provides a perfect opportunity to jump on a train and enjoy a safe, socially distanced, free and fun activity for one and all. Get your step count up, enjoy local art and win lots of free rewards by doing so! We are grateful to Greater Anglia and Network Rail for their continued support, and we’ve enjoyed seeing the smiles he brings when passing him by in the station. Download the Octopus Ahoy! app from Apple and Android stores to follow the trail this summer.”
Greater Anglia Managing Director Jamie Burles said: “We’re very happy to support Octopus Ahoy! The octopus caused quite a stir on its trip up to Liverpool Street. We hope the octopus trail will inspire many people to catch the train and take a walk to spot as many octopuses as possible – including at Colchester and Clacton stations.”
