00:00A retired metal workers transformed parts of Devon into a sprawling outdoor sculpture trail
00:06with more than 300 animal figures now dotted across villages, gardens and green spaces.
00:12The artist, 87-year-old Malcolm Curley, began sculpting after leaving work in metal fabrication,
00:19saying he was looking for something to occupy his time and channel his creativity in retirement.
00:26I started learning to do sculpture some years ago in clay,
00:31but then I realised I found a way of doing it in weatherproof stuff to keep them outside.
00:38And it seems to have worked and cottoned on and I get people wanting them.
00:46I'd love to do abstract and I want to do more kinetic.
00:49And I'd had one here, which I had on the hedge, which was from a sailing boat, which caught the
00:55wind.
00:55And that was going, any breeze was moving. And I've got ideas.
00:59After moving to Totnes from Bristol, he created a sculpture for his own garden.
01:05But that single piece quickly led to requests from neighbours
01:09and what started as a personal project soon expanded far beyond his own property.
01:16Now his work can be found across the local area,
01:19with animals appearing in unexpected places such as trees, hedges and private gardens.
01:24The sculptures have become part of a unique visitor experience called the Bridgetown Safari,
01:29a bus tour that guides people around some of the installations.
01:33Malcolm says he doesn't charge for his work.
01:35Instead, he asks those who receive a sculpture to donate to a charity of their choice.
01:41He says that approach has kept the project focused on creativity rather than commercial gain.
01:47He describes receiving multiple requests each month, often working on several commissions at once,
01:52and says he typically completes around one sculpture a week.
01:56His process begins with a wooden base before building up shapes using materials,
02:00including sand, cement and paint,
02:02to create a weather-resistant finish designed to last outdoors for several years.
02:07Residents across Totnes and surrounding villages often send in photographs of their homes and gardens,
02:13asking for bespoke pieces designed to fit specific spaces.
02:16He says he sometimes uses digital mock-ups to help people visualise the finished work before it's built.
02:23Among his favourites are more playful pieces,
02:25including installations at nearby Coggington Court,
02:28featuring well-known fairytale characters,
02:30which he says continue to draw attention and make him smile.
02:34For Malcolm, the motivation remains simple,
02:37continuing to create.
02:38With dozens of new requests still coming in,
02:41he says he expects to remain busy well into the coming months,
02:45adding that he enjoys working on unusual and imaginative designs
02:49that make people look twice as they pass by.
02:52And that's how one retirement hobby has quietly grown
02:55into a wide-ranging public art trail.
02:58We'll see you next time.
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