Leeds shopping centre and Yorkshire art organisation team up to raise breast cancer awareness during National Self-Check Month
Yorkshire art organisation Sand in Your Eye has partnered with White Rose Shopping Centre to showcase an impactful display highlighting the importance of breast cancer awareness: seven unique nude torsos, each sculpted from ice and snow.
Created to illustrate the statistic that one in seven people will receive a breast cancer diagnosis in their life and to encourage people to perform regular self-checks, the artwork features seven sculptures of a female torso made of snow and ice, with one larger piece solely carved from ice.
Each torso is modelled from a different body type, including one male, showing that anyone can be affected by the disease.
Accompanying the sculptures on display at White Rose on Saturday 28th February, was Claire Wardley of Sand in Your Eye who was diagnosed with breast cancer just over a year ago. Claire’s children, Florence and Emme, have been busking to raise funds for Cancer Research UK, raising more than £3,000 for the charity so far.
Information on how to perform a thorough self-check examination as well as the signs and symptoms to look out for can be found via the NHS or charities such as CoppaFeel.
Of the installation, Claire Wardley shared: “I wanted to create an artwork that will hopefully encourage people who see it to check themselves. Changes in your body that are not normal for you need to be checked. The earlier a cancer is caught, the better.”
Ashleigh Kellett, Deputy Centre Director at White Rose Shopping Centre, added: “There are more than 56,000 new cases of breast cancer diagnosed each year* and with early diagnosis a critical contributor to successful treatment, we’re proud to support Claire and Sand in Your Eye in making this impactful display possible.
“Breast cancer can affect anyone – both women and men – and being aware of what is normal for ourselves is so important. We hope more people are encouraged to perform a monthly self-check by these stunning sculptures.”
For more information on White Rose Shopping Centre, visit www.white-rose.co.uk
