Find me at: West Offices

W3W: ///snacks.fires.wasp

Researched and designed by: Navigators Art and Performance

Wystan Hugh Auden (1907-1973) was born in Bootham, York, Informed by science and engineering, his fascination with the world and its workings was expressed in a myriad of poetic forms, earning him the title “the Picasso of modern poetry”.

As well as over 400 poems of both profundity and great wit, he wrote drama, essays, libretti, travel writing and works of criticism: a range that reflects the multi-faceted nature of human life and his own aliveness to all of it.

Openly gay and defiantly anti-establishment, he was controversial and influential in his views on politics, morals, love, and religion, and widely recognised as a leader of the British avant-garde at a time of cultural and creative flux in Europe.

His editor recognised him as “the first poet writing in English who felt at home in the twentieth century”.

❝We'll be incorporating lines of verse and and physical appendages into the beetle structure itself, to reflect the extensive range and exploratory nature of W.H. Auden's writing. Colours will be significant too. Apart from that, we want to keep options open and explore as we go along, in the spirit of Auden's anti-establishment outlook, mischievous wit and love of spontaneity. Creating this work will be a journey of discovery for ourselves as artists, as well as for the viewer.

We like the idea of celebrating a few less obvious York cultural trailblazers and it was a tough decision between W.H. Auden, Frankie Howerd and John Barry! We hope they'll all get due attention on a future occasion. Our sculpture and the related live event on 2nd June will be a chance for people to (re-)discover W.H. Auden's work and find out why he is so celebrated. Described as "the Picasso of modern poetry", we're proud to shed new light on this wayward son of York.❞

W. H. Auden: The Picasso of Modern Poetry

Wystan Hugh Auden was born in Bootham, York, in 1907. Fired by a love of science and engineering, he expressed his fascination with the world in a myriad of poetic forms, earning him the title “the Picasso of modern poetry”. He wrote much more than ‘Funeral Blues’, familiar from the film Four Weddings and a Funeral. Along with over 400 poems of both profundity and wit, he produced drama, essays, libretti, travel writing, and works of criticism: a range that celebrates the multi-faceted nature of human life and his own aliveness to all of it.

Openly gay and defiantly anti-establishment, Auden was controversial and influential in his views on politics, morals, love, and religion. He was recognised as a leader of the British avant-garde at a time of cultural and creative flux in Europe. His editor hailed him as “the first poet writing in English who felt at home in the twentieth century”. W. H. Auden died in Vienna in 1973. A blue plaque marks his birthplace at 54 Bootham and a memorial to him can be seen in the courtyard of the City of York Council’s West Offices.

The Sculpture: Emphasising the unique design of the beetle frame, this sculpture is left uncovered with a canvas. The Tansy beetle's colour is formed by light bouncing off ridges on its shell, not from pigment. Designer Nick Walters has highlighted the structure with contrasting colours, so that the beetle changes colour as you walk past it. Dark blue represents Oxford University, to which Auden won a scholarship to study Science then Literature. He gained a 3rd class degree (keener to write words than to study them?) and later became Professor of Poetry. Always irreverent, he defined a professor as “someone who talks in someone else’s sleep”.

Words by Auden are woven on stainless steel ribbon through the structure of the beetle. The lines of ribbon reflect the famous cragginess of his face, which Auden himself likened to “a wedding cake left out in the rain”. The steel ribbon has been sprayed with a translucent paint to keep the metallic sheen. One side of the ribbon is green, with red text, and the other is orange: all referencing the Tansy beetle’s translucent colourings. Gold contrasts vividly with the blue, reflecting the importance of duality in Auden’s poetry itself, which pairs contrasting ideas in order to cast new light on each of them, or to illuminate connections between them.

About Navigators Art: Navigators Art is a collective of artists, writers, musicians, and performers. Since 2019 they have devised or engaged with over 20 projects in York. New members and emerging talents are always welcome. The collective is available for commissions, community projects, and events. Contact Navigators Art at navigatorsart@gmail.com and follow on Facebook/Instagram: @navigatorsart.

Auden Live: As I Walked Out One Evening: A celebration of W. H. Auden in words, music, and performance will be repeated with new material on 19th October. Advance booking is advisable. Details and tickets: bit.ly/nav-auden.