The Apple

The Apple brought along with it, it’s spirit.

For me, The Apple in this exhibition was a symbol of hope, regeneration and determination in difficult and uncertain times. The Apple first came about during the pandemic. Many versions of the sculpture were given to donors in exchange for funds being raised to provide my late father with cancer care. This particular apple was also shown in a group exhibition at 36 Lime St, Newcastle, in support of the Baton of Hope tour in June 2023. 

Mia and I were two of many across the country who carried the baton. In an article for Sky News, Tom Parmenter writes, “an Olympic-style torch [is] being carried by survivors, bereaved families and a host of familiar faces determined to change the national conversation around suicide.” The courage and determination that the BoH has displayed has been a big inspiration for me in embarking upon this project. I guess I could say, they gave me hope!

Quoted article - batonofhopeuk.org/sky-news-article/

‘The Apple’

Polyurethane Resin, Pigment and Gold Leaf, 2020.

The Apple, in its inception, was created as a reward for donors to the fundraiser I set up to fund my father's health care during the pandemic, following a delayed stage 4 cancer diagnosis. The fundraiser was entitled, 'My Dad's Apple'.

The following is an extract from the text for my late fathers retrospective exhibition, ‘The Apple Doesn't Fall Far’, at The Globe Gallery, 2021.

“The inspiration for this series of sculptures came from a small apple gifted to her by her Dad, days before his diagnosis. After thriving for 25 years, the apple tree ceased to bear fruit following the death of Whitfield’s father in law, the man who originally planted it. During the first lockdown, however, Whitfield cleared the poisonous weeds that suffocated the plant, and shortly after, he harvested a single green apple, which he gifted Amy. This modest and deeply symbolic gift has been manifest into Amy’s work and, more importantly, into an energetic drive. For Amy, this

“...is a symbol of hope, regeneration, and determination in these difficult and uncertain times.” She sees a correlation between her fight to save her Dad’s life and to his own efforts to save the apple tree. Her desire, strong: ‘‘If we cannot save his life, I hope that we can at least make sure that during his final days, he is held in comfort, love, and dignity.””

You can see more about ‘The Apple Doesn’t Fall Far’ on Globe Gallery’s website:
www.globegallery.org/portfolio-item/the-apple-doesnt-fall-far/

You can read more about The Apple’s birth, here:
www.amysouth.co.uk/my-dads-apple/background-story