Beetle in the square

When I was in the Bristol last month, I was really intrigued by this beetle. My first reaction was to be a bit squeamish: a vicious looking insect magnified many times – quite scary! As I passed the sculpture on different occasions that trip, I became amazed to see the response of children to it and the joy and excitement they expressed. This sculpture by Nicola Hicks is on a plinth low enough for a small child to clamber on and touch it. When one child ran up to it, another one soon followed, even if the adults were a bit reluctant. Perhaps where we saw fear, they just saw splendid insect, marvellous in its monstrosity! It was a joyful thing to witness, and a reminder to me to change the lens through which I view the world sometimes. There is a whole lot more wonder out there 🙂

Beetle, by Nicola Hicks