Sculpture being unveiled at Quantock House, Taunton

Two standing stones from a Somerset quarry each weighing four tonnes will be craned into place on the site of a recently completed independent-living apartment complex.

The pieces of public art have been created by Curload sculptor Olivia Sanders using a red sandstone block from West Somerset and a ham stone block from the east of the county, each with one cut and polished side.

The blocks, each more than nine-feet high, will be a feature of the landscaped gardens of the Platinum Skies development on the site of the former Quantock House offices, in Paul Street.

Olivia said: "The challenge was firstly to make a work that responded to a contemporary 21st century new building, while simultaneously making a link, or bridge, between it and its location, here in Taunton in rural Somerset.

"The second challenge was to site the work so that it was accessible to the public, while also making it on a scale that people could interact with, thereby drawing together the new building, its geographical location, the sculpture and us humans.

"The more I mulled over what would work, the more I kept returning to the geology of Somerset.

"The Vale of Taunton is bounded to the west by red sandstone, and to the east by golden yellow ham stone - examples of them both are to be found in much of the architecture of Taunton through the centuries.

"In this sculpture, I have brought these two red and yellow stone elements together, to create a focal point with them, standing in conjunction with the dynamic projecting triangular prow, supported by its blue brick column, of the north-east corner of Quantock House."

One of the stones is a 252-million-year-old, permo-triassic red sandstone from Capton Quarry, the other a 180-million-year-old Jurassic upper lias limestone from Harvey’s quarry at Ham Hill.

The stones are placed so that the dynamic view of the triangular point of the building, with its column, is visible directly between and above them.

The space between the stones creates a portal, allowing people to look up and feel the connection between the stones and the building.

Olivia added: "It creates an opportunity for people to think about the relationship between ancient geological time, and contemporary time, between the landscape of Somerset and the urban landscape.

"People may become aware of our human timeline, and that we, through our consciousness and our imagination, can connect all these times, and all these elements together."