Just three years ago, on 23 July 2011 the iconic singer Amy Winehouse died from alcohol poisoning, in her home, in Camden Town, London. Now a statue of the artist is set to be unveiled in the Stables Market, a place the artist frequented, in the part of London that was her home. The sculpture will be commemorated in a ceremony on the singer’s 31st birthday on 14 September. The work has been created by the sculptor Scott Eaton, and depicts her leaning against a plinth with her hand on her hip and her trademark beehive hairdo. The Roundhouse music venue was originally set to house the work of art but this plan was scrapped as it was inaccessible, for much of the day.
Her father Mitch said of the honour, “Now Amy will oversee the comings and goings of her home town forever,” said her father Mitch Winehouse. “Amy was in love with Camden and it is the place her fans from all over the world associate her with.” He added: “The family have always been keen to have a memorial for her in the place she loved the most, which will provide fans a place to visit and attract people to the area.” Her father added “The Roundhouse would have been great as Amy and the Foundation have a great affinity with the venue, but it would not always have been accessible for fans,” said Mitch. “We wanted people to be able to see it, touch and interact.”
The singer, who died at her home after binge drinking was a regular at Camden’s Hawley Arms pub. “It is hoped the statue will be a lasting tribute to a great performer who displayed a deep affection for the area and its legendary live music scene, while at the same time inspiring young men and women in the area.” Camden Council deputy mayor Jonathan Simpson said:
Scott Eaton is an artist and designer residing in London. He is works in the emerging field of digital sculpture, which combines the power of digital tools with traditional sculptural techniques and 3d-printing and fabrication. His background uniquely positions him to merge traditional and digital techniques – having studied both engineering and art at Princeton University and the renowned MIT Media Lab. He subsequently continued his art studies at the Florence Academy of Art in Florence, Italy.
Eaton frequently gives talks on his work including recent lectures at the Tate Modern Museum, London. When not busy with his art and design projects, he creates visual effects for films. His recent film projects include Spielberg’s War Horse, Wrath of the Titans, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Captain America, and Clash of the Titans.