The Drummer sculpture, represents the determination of people and place - balanced defiantly on the edge.
It was commissioned by Cornwall Council and created by artist and sculptor Tim Shaw. It was installed on Lemon Quay, Truro in November 2011 and was unveiled by Roger Taylor, drummer of rock band Queen, who grew up in Cornwall.
The 15ft sculpture is cast in bronze, an alloy composed of copper and tin. The cast contains both an ingot of Cornish tin and Cornish copper.
A Symbolic Work that Celebrates the Spirit of a Land and its People.
Tim Shaw has described his sculpture as representing Cornish identity, symbolising a place where ‘the drum beats differently’, referring to the primordial, magical, and timeless aspect that the land possesses.
The emblem of the lamb and flag embossed upon the drum represents purity and refers to Truro’s past as a stannary town where tin was weighed, stamped and sold.
The decision for the drummer to be poised atop a ball also has a lot of significance. Tim Shaw has likened this to the Cornish people, both strong and resilient. The ball also suggests both a sea buoy and the globe, across which a great many Cornish people migrated to find work. The ball also links to the location of the sculpture on Lemon Quay. Below the sculpture and Lemon Quay piazza is the confluence of rivers and tidal water. The circular paving design is reflective of the ripples you might see on the tidal river beneath it. The quay was covered over in 1926 following the decline in Truro as a port in favour of Falmouth.
Yes, The Dummer is naked!
The anatomically accurate depiction of this naked male drummer somewhat divides opinion, although nudity in sculptures is commonplace throughout history. Tim Shaw has commented on this in the past, advising that he felt that adding clothes to the statue would immediately date it, or mean that one group could lay individual claim to it.
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