THERE’S a new addition to Leicester’s streetscape – but only those who look up will spot the new resident on the flat roof of the LCB Depot on Rutland Street.
Created by award-winning artist Candice Bees, the steel-wire fox is the third sculpture in a series of vulpine artworks commissioned by the city council.
The latest fox (pictured) seems to be gazing at the giant mural painted on the wall of the LCB Depot.
The first sculpture – a life-size replica of a fox on the move – was installed on the roof of the King Richard III Visitor Centre in 2021, while the second fox has peeped out from the top of the wall at the rear of the Corn Exchange since June last year.
Leicester City Council hopes that the trio of sculptures will create new talking points at the three popular city centre locations.
City Mayor Peter Soulsby said: “These new sculptures complement the investment we’ve made in Leicester’s streets and spaces in recent years.
“Art installations and other design features are important elements of our public realm and help create attractive spaces that people can interact with and enjoy.
“The fox is, of course, synonymous with Leicester and these charming sculptures, created by a very talented artist, are a welcome addition to Leicester city centre.”
Artist Candice Bees – whose sculpture of an urban fox won the David Shepherd Wildlife Artist of the Year award in 2016 – said: “Each fox takes me around six to eight weeks to complete – and each one is completely unique.
“I start by making a simple armature that represents the fox’s skeleton and then use thick wire to create a basic muscle structure. Finer wires are then used to model the outer skin and fur. This is the most time-consuming bit, as each hair is represented by a single strand of wire, woven through the sculpture to ensure that the final piece is as realistic as possible.
“It’s been an absolute honour to create these foxes for Leicester – but I think this third one is my favourite.”
The sculptures have been funded as part of the Connecting Leicester project – the City Mayor’s long-term programme to better connect Leicester’s places of interest and create a more attractive environment for pedestrians and cyclists.