‘Frank’ entertainer Amy Winehouse is to be honoured with a statue in the city of London, it has emerged today.
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Designed by the artist Scott Eaton, the structure will be placed on the balcony of the city’s Roundhouse music venue, in honour of the star- who passed in 2011.
Marking the last place the singer performed at her before her death, the venue’s forthcoming statue was approved by Camden’s City Council who joined her father Mitch Winehouse in praising its conception and the entertainer herself, explaining:
“We’ve been very impressed with the designs for the memorial I’ve seen – it’s clear a great deal of thought has gone in to the plans.
Amy’s legacy will live on for decades, not only because of her songwriting abilities, but through the work of the Foundation in supporting young people.
“As the Roundhouse Trust does such brilliant work with young people through their education schemes, I’m pleased the memorial will be able to go there.”
To which Mitch added:
“Amy was in love with Camden, and it is the place her fans from all over the world associate her with. The family have always been keen to have a memorial for her in the place she loved the most, which will provide fans a place to visit and bring extra custom to local businesses.”
“The Roundhouse seemed an obvious choice of location as Amy had a special relationship with the venue. She played there with Paul Weller when the venue re-opened in October 2006 and her last public performance was on the same stage just days before she passed away in July 2011.
“We are strong supporters of The Roundhouse and their innovative music programmes which provide access to projects and opportunities for young people from disadvantaged backgrounds and we have funded their Roundhouse Radio programme for the next three years.
Amy was a wonderful person, she did a lot for Camden and did a lot for kids, she was one of the greatest singers the world has ever known.”
However, upon learning of plans to build the structure, the Camden Town Conservation Advisory objected to the idea, revealing that they believed its idea was less about honouring Amy and more about generating capital for those with a vested interest in it…including her father.
They shared:
“We are concerned that this statue of Amy Winehouse should be proposed so soon after her death … It often takes some time to devise an appropriate and lasting memorial as well as to provide a really suitable venue.
We are not necessarily impressed by Scott Eaton’s statue and certainly feel that a much better venue could be found. The proposal certainly seems to have far more commercial aims than the simple one of remembering Amy.”