Luna Park 2021

Find Luna Park 2021 on Southsea Common!

I stand for language. I speak for history. I shout for truth. is an eagerly anticipated new public artwork designed by internationally renowned artists Ivan Morison and Heather Peak of Studio Morison. The piece has been conceived as a long-lasting tribute to their 53-foot high 2010 artwork Luna Park, which tragically burned down on Southsea Common. 

This new piece of public art consists of a bronze sculpture of the original, affectionately known by local residents as ‘The Southsea Dinosaur’, atop a fossil Portland stone plinth and totalling 1.4m high. A plaque on the plinth also enables visitors to connect to an Augmented Reality experience on their smartphones – revealing a full-size digital rendering of the original artwork seemingly in front of them! The work is located within a direct sightline to the position of the original Luna Park sculpture on Southsea Common.

“We are thrilled to be able to share plans for Luna Park 2021, a decade after the original Luna Park was installed on Southsea Common. The artwork is firmly and fondly lodged in the memories of local people and lives on through younger generations as a kind of myth or local legend. Luna Park is part of Portsmouth’s heritage and we are delighted to be unveiling Luna Park 2021 this Autumn. It is hoped that the piece will generate new memories for people who live here and those visiting Portsmouth. More than 12,000 local residents joined an independently created Facebook group called ‘RIP Southsea Dinosaur’ when Luna Park tragically and mysteriously burned down in 2010 and since summer 2020, a Crowdfunder has raised £10,000 to build our bronze replica of the goliath. There is a tremendous spirit of warmth towards the original work and we are thrilled to be exhibiting it this year as part of our anniversary celebrations.” said Joanne Bushell, Director, Aspex 

“Luna Park always existed as a story. The story of the fictitious dinosaur it was based on. The story of its making in a far off country. The stories of the people who encountered this huge stranger to their city. And the story of its shocking end. It’s that last part of the story, the final twist, that has brought Luna Park closer to the hearts of the residents of Portsmouth – something sad that happened and a little shameful. This new iteration of Luna Park is a celebration of all those stories, a bookmark out on the Common marking that particular page in Portsmouth history. For us as artists Luna Park is one of our fondest, and strangely most successful works, and we are so proud and delighted to have been asked to continue it forwards in this way.” said Ivan Morison, Studio Morison

I stand for language. I speak for history. I shout for truth. has been commissioned by Aspex with donations from individuals through Crowdfunder and supported using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England, and Portsmouth City Council.