Hammer, Anvil, Stirrup

Presented in partnership with Yorkshire Sculpture International, this one-day display brings together the work of this year’s Sculpture Network 2025 artists through sculptural gestures, objects and responses, which will adorn shelves and sit on tables across the library.

Thirty years ago, in 1995, artist Phyllida Barlow (1944-2023) opened Objects for a Library, an intervention in Henry Moore Institute’s research library, part of her Objects for… series.

Since discovering this work, the fifteen artists have worked together to continue a conversation about sculpture, learning and what it means to inhabit a space of knowledge.

Visit to explore the library and discover new works created in the spirit of dialogue, disruption and placement.

This collaborative intervention marks the end of a four-month programme of support, and the artists will be present to celebrate this moment and talk about the display.

Please note the library will be closed to readers while the artworks are on display on Saturday 6 December 2025.

Hammer, Anvil, Stirrup

The display takes its title from the three small bones of the human ear – the malleus, incus and stapes – which together allow us to hear. Shared in conversation by Sculpture Network artist Grace Clifford, they became a resonant metaphor for the group’s experience – the processes of making and listening, impact and resistance, movement and connection.

A publication about Hammer, Anvil, Stirrup will be available in early spring 2026.

YSI Sculpture Network 2025

This year Yorkshire Sculpture International has supported fifteen artists through the Sculpture Network: Ailish Treanor, Alana Lake, Aliyah Hussain, Anne-Marie Atkinson, Chanelle Windas, Dawn Woolley, Grace Clifford, Henry Cottam, Joseph Goddard, Lucie Kordacova, Luke Beech, Molly Newham, Rhubarbs, Simon Le Ruez, Simon Raines.

The artists have spent the past four months together sharing their practices, developing friendships and critical conversations across Yorkshire.

The YSI Sculpture Network focuses on developing creative practice and pathways in Yorkshire, building regional and national connections, career opportunities and increasing engagement with sculpture. Since the network launch in 2020, they have supported nearly fifty artists working across expanded and interdisciplinary approaches to sculpture.

Yorkshire Sculpture International (YSI) is a partnership between Henry Moore Institute, Leeds Art Gallery, The Hepworth Wakefield and Yorkshire Sculpture Park.