Oxford City Council has given the green light for a striking new public art installation by internationally acclaimed artist Alexandra Daisy Ginsberg to be unveiled at Canalside Park, part of Oxford North’s flagship innovation district.
Titled The Length of a Moment, the commission will feature three monumental bronze sculptures, each standing over two metres tall, rising from the park’s wildflower meadow. The artworks celebrate the often-overlooked role of moths as vital pollinators, capturing the invisible movements of scent and flight that guide moths towards flowers.
The sculptures are inspired by scientific simulations of floral scent plumes shaped by wind turbulence and moth behaviour. These fleeting, unseen moments have been translated into cloud-like, organic bronze forms that blend seamlessly into the surrounding landscape, encouraging visitors to reflect on ecosystems beyond human perception.
Canalside Park spans 2.94 acres and has been designed as a welcoming green space linking the Oxford Canal, Wolvercote community and the emerging Canalside Quarter homes. The park includes native trees, climate-resilient planting, seating and sustainable drainage features.
The artworks will be produced by Pangolin Editions, a leading contemporary art foundry based in Stroud, Gloucestershire, known for its strong sustainability credentials. The foundry employs renewable energy, low-emission fuels and extensive recycling throughout its casting process.
The Length of a Moment forms part of Oxford North’s Engage programme, which connects communities with art, science and nature through workshops, performances and discussions. Partners include IF Oxford Science & Ideas Festival, Modern Art Oxford, Fusion Arts and Creation Theatre.
Artist Alexandra Daisy Ginsberg said the work aims to foster curiosity and empathy by revealing how other species experience the world. The sculptures will join existing public artworks at Oxford North, including Olafur Eliasson’s ‘Your planetary assembly’, unveiled in Fallaize Park in October 2025.
Read more: Olafur Eliasson unveils first permanent UK public artwork at Oxford North
The installation reinforces Oxford North’s ambition to integrate world-class public art into everyday spaces, enriching community life while highlighting the relationship between ecology, innovation and culture.
