Palm Desert, CA – When master visual artist Bernard Stanley Hoyes was first appointed to create an outdoor stainless steel sculpture for the Kingston Restoration Walking Museum Project in Jamaica, it was before Covid. The project, sponsored by the Kingston Restoration Company and the Duke Street Refurbishing Project and funded by the Tourism Enhancement Fund was a heartfelt assignment for Hoyes, a native of Jamaica and longtime resident of California. The manifestation and creation of the 400 pound “Mating Dance of Hummingbirds,†now standing on historical Duke Street in downtown Kingston, is a tremendous testimony to perseverance, resilience and the magnetic power of creativity. Hoyes withstood the isolation of quarantine, the scarcity of the pandemic and even his own battle with Covid to rise majestically victorious, much like the hummingbirds, the national birds of Jamaica, atop his monument.
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Hoyes, best known for his vibrantly, vivid oils on canvas renditions, is no stranger to sculpture. His six-foot “Roots of Pegasusâ€Â bronze figure for a private collector and his eight-foot three-ton granite rock carving of a blue fin tuna, crafted in Fuzhou City in the Fujian Province of China, cemented the artist’s ability to encapsulate life-force in a variety of mediums. “Mating Dance of Hummingbirds†maintains his legacy, with two glorious, chrome steel body and winged hummingbirds resting atop a twisted, spiral helix intertwined around a shared axis. The helical structure, like the shape of our DNA, is a symbol of eternity and life, and the foundation of sacred geometry, coded with evolution, infinite growth and longevity. Lucite rods stabilized within the wings also encase solar LED lighting offering enhanced reflective color features that add vitality to his design.Â
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“I sequester myself when creating all the time. For me it provides a confrontation with the chosen medium and discipline I’m working with. But there is a marked difference between self-imposed isolation and an enforced quarantine. Seclusion usually provides me a safe haven, whereas the shut down during Covid created a vibration of eerie inaccessibility,†explains Hoyes.Â
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“The entire crafting experience, including me suffering through Covid, and personally packaging and delivery the work, served to intensify the intentions instilled in this art piece. A multi-dimensional metaphor evolved for me. ‘Out Of Many, One People,’ is Jamaica’s national motto. ‘The Mating Dance of Hummingbirds’ speaks to the ever evolving procreation of all species, reminding us that we all share common DNA and we are all connected in this together,†shares Hoyes.
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“The Duke Street Refurbishing Project/Kingston Restoration Company Limited is pleased to have commissioned the sculpture ‘Mating Dance of the Hummingbirds’ created by artist Bernard Hoyes. The hummingbird is a symbol of the unique biodiversity of our country. The majestic helix structure reflects the resilience and strength of our people in the face of adversity,†notes Dr. Blossom O’Meally-Nelson CD WGE, Project Manager of the Duke Street Refurbishing Project.        Â
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“This work of art is a reminder of our interdependence as a nation and the importance of understanding and preserving our history, culture and self-identity. This iconic work will serve as a symbol of the importance of continued collaboration among stakeholders and partners for the redevelopment of Kingston and the establishment of the Duke Street Legal and Financial Business District,†adds Dayton Wood, Project Coordinator, Kingston Restoration Company Limited.
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