Specially commissioned for the sculpture exhibition 'Ark' at Chester Cathedral in 2017, this monumental outdoor work is Jon Buck's largest sculpture to date. Using a classical theme and a timeless form for his ‘ark’ Buck has covered the surface of the work with animal ‘glyphs’ to express his concerns about our human impact on diversity.

Jon Buck’s work takes inspiration from a wide range of historical and contemporary scientific and anthropological sources. In Buck’s recent works he explores primary patterns derived from the natural world. They embellish the surfaces of containers, receptacles and arks with the implied need for the preservation of the great biodiversity that is life.

Jon Buck has always felt compelled by concerns for the environment, in particular the human relationship to the natural world. His experience working as a bird-keeper at Bristol Zoo in his youth was an important creative inspiration, and through his knowledge of nature and science he began to investigate the ways in which sculpture could stimulate a deeper primal physical response. In earlier works Buck explored surface textures and markings imprinted into the surface of the bronze, which led to an interest in pushing the boundaries of colour through experimentation with patinas and painted surfaces in collaboration with his foundry, Pangolin Editions.

Jon Buck’s work has recently seen a shift in focus, from his familiar subjects - what the artist refers to as his ‘animals of the mind’ - to developing a wider perspective, one which looks at the incredible variation of the life that has evolved and exists alongside us.

'What do we feel about ourselves as human beings, about our relationship to each other, to other creatures and to the wider environment in general? Science has tried to put us back as part of nature as we rapidly become more isolated from it, can art express this irony?' Jon Buck, 2019.