A Man Can't Fly 
at Church Street, Stoke
 

Location: Statue, On pavement of Leek Road near junction with Station Road, Stoke
Date of installation: 1989
Sculptor: Ondre Nowakowski
Commissioned by: Stoke on Trent City Council
 

Surmounting the column is the figure of a man in an arabesque,
a ballet pose where the body balances horizontally upon one leg.

 

Description: A Man Can't Fly is situated at a busy road junction in Stoke on Trent and is also visible from trains heading south as they depart Stoke on Trent railway station. It is an image that reminds us that we are in too much of a rush to do too much for most of the time. A brick base supports a black column with the words 'A MAN CAN'T FLY' inscribed vertically four times on its surface. Surmounting the column is the figure of a man in an arabesque, a ballet pose where the body balances horizontally upon one leg. The features of the man are smooth with no particular identifying features, because of this the statue appears to represent all men.

The features of the man are smooth with no particular identifying features,
because of this the statue appears to represent all men

 

Stands on a brick base which supports a black column with the words
'A MAN CAN'T FLY' inscribed vertically four times on its surface.

 

   

Materials:

Part of work	Material	Dimensions
Statue	Polyester resin, coloured to appear like patinated bronze	1m x 2m (overall work 4m x 2.5m x 1m)
Column	Unknown, coloured black	275cm high x 34cm diameter
Pedestal	Brick, red and brown	60cm high x 160cm wide x 160cm deep