Figure of a horse, with cone, earthenware, 'National Trust', made by Dawn Youll, Glasgow, 2010.

Flattened figure of a rearing horse, akin to a silhouette or graphic image, in earthenware with textured matt black slip, the front legs of which are supported by a separate (traffic) cone, in earthenware with a shiny orange-red glaze.

Acquired through the generosity of Gerard and Sarah Griffin

Shown by Marsden Woo Gallery at the art fair Collect 2010, Saatchi Gallery, London.

Artist Statement:
The title of the piece 'National Trust' came as a starting point after a period of long car journeys, frequently passing the blue and brown National Trust signs indicating places of interest. My interpretation of the title was to present two recognisable and rather graphic images as 3D forms; a traffic cone and a rearing horse. The horse is not fully formed, it is instead a 3D representation of a 2D graphic image taken from a book illustration. It is only recognisable as a horse from certain view points, it also relies on the cone to keep it upright. The cone is a turned model of a typical traffic cone, a utilitarian form used to create control in the urban environment. Both forms are allowed to function physically and symbolically because of their pairing, they allow the viewer to consider the relationship between individual narrative parts.
Dawn Youll. Email of 31/01/2011. V&A Registered File 2010/449.

The artist has also commented further:
In regards to National Trust, I used the rearing horse simply as an image, one that I realise has been used to convey/portray power in other instances. I was very aware of the Lloyds connection but it isn't modelled from that, it comes from an image of a horse in a book. For me I think the image of a horse conjures ideas of freedom (in both the nature of the animal and also health/wealth in people) and the cone represents the human attempt to exert control (which is often redundant as you see many solitary forgotten traffic cones lying around the place).
Email of 26/03/2011. V&A Registered File 2010/449.

Dawn Youll's 'National Trust' presents images of strongly graphic character or profile as three-dimensional forms. The silhouette-like rearing horse has been derived from a book illustration, while its accompanying traffic cone has been reduced to its essential formal and symbolic value. For the artist, the horse holds connotations of freedom and well-being, while the cone suggests an (at times futile) attempt to exert order and control.

C.12:1, 2-2010