The Walking Man

There is a sculpture in Holland Park that is called 'Walking Man'. Created in 1998 by Sean Henry, it shows a rather ubiquitous, unexceptional male figure walking forwards, slowly but with purpose. His facial expressions are ambiguous: on one hand, you can view him as being worried about something, but on the other hand he can also seem mildly pleased about one of his own thoughts. In yet another light, he seems bored; in another, he seems exceptionally melancholy. The fact that his right foot seems tantalisingly about to touch the ground, but is not fully in contact, adds a greater sense of motion and life to his form.

 Left: 'Walking Man' by Sean Henry

What does he represent? I have looked at the sculpture many times on my morning cleaning sessions, and puzzled over that question in my mind. Who is this man? Where is he going? What is he thinking?

An interpretation that has recently come to me, and which I find myself adhering to more and more, is that this man could be a good representation for all of the world's key workers during this coronavirus pandemic - NHS care workers, park staff, cleaners, and delivery workers, amongst many others. They will have their own uncertainties and their doubts about what they are doing - after all, the presence of an illness that threatens their lives is little cause for comfort. Yet they keep on going to work, do their jobs and keep our community running through their efforts. They are the source of the power that keeps the world's gears turning.

What they have done is truly remarkable, and I find myself realising how grateful I should be to them even in normal times.

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