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Overview
Marjan Wouda, an internationally acclaimed sculptor based in Darwen, Lancashire, working across clay, steel and bronze, joined 3D 360 Lancashire Advanced Manufacturing Skills Bootcamp to explore how additive manufacturing (3D printing) could enhance her practice of producing metal sculptures.
Her current project “Bring Back the Hare to Rawtenstall” is inspired by local Lancashire folktales and aims to install a 3.5 metre Corten steel hare in the town square as both a symbol of regional identity and ecological awareness.
The sculpture’s title, “Sir Hare”, is taken from a Medieval poem while its design references a character from an old Lancashire ghost story and the history of the Pendle Witches, tying modern sculpture to centuries of local storytelling.
Background
With nearly 40 years of experience, Marjan has produced large scale animal sculptures inspired by folklore, including “Sir Hare”, “Dandy”, a witch’s familiar in the form of a dog, and the Dun Cow, all conceived via paper maquettes and steel fabrication.
To “Bring Back the Hare” to Rawtenstall and have it permanently installed in the town square, Marjan launched a crowdfunding campaign. The campaign has drawn strong community support, with local residents, businesses and Lancashire County Council backing the idea of celebrating Lancashire’s folklore and identity through public art.
Marjan joined the Skills Bootcamp to deepen her digital capabilities so she could communicate more clearly with fabricators and the wider metal industry. She had been using 2D CAD but wanted to progress into 3D CAD to improve collaboration and to visualise works at the maquette stage.
“I got just the feeling that there's a world out there that I don't really fully understand or I haven't properly learned that would really up my skill", says Marjan.
Programme Delivery
Early in the programme, while completing the first online module, she wondered if the course was right for her. Access to extensive one to one support and practical sessions changed that view. She found the hands on training the most engaging and valued the flexibility to learn around her self-employed practice.
Marjan is already linking these skills to Bring Back the Hare, planning to use small 3D printed models to communicate ideas to potential backers and to brief fabricators and structural engineers more clearly. They can also become saleable pieces.
“The practical element of 3D 360 is amazing. You learn, apply, and return with questions. It’s a process that’s unfolding as I go, and it opens doors for new ways of working,” Marjan explains.
Outcomes & Impact
- Communication and collaboration: Moving beyond 2D concepts toward 3D improves clarity when working with fabricators and structural engineers on large public sculptures. After all, the sculptures are 3 dimensional.
- Prototyping and templates: She is exploring small models to communicate ideas for backers and accurate printed templates or moulds to speed construction and reduce waste.
- Creative Confidence & Evolution: Marjan‘s newfound technical fluency will empower her to work with new materials and digital hybridity, enriching her creative practice.
- Efficiency and scale: Bringing more making in-house lowers costs that often limit size or casting choices, opening doors to more ambitious works.
- Sector influence: She expects her learning and adoption of digital methods to inspire other Lancashire artists, especially those at earlier stages
- Cultural Regeneration & Storytelling: Her sculptures act as a tangible link between Lancashire’s story-lore and contemporary public art, fostering a sense of communal identity and shared heritage.
- Public Appreciation & Economic Interest: The Hare will draw tourism interest and contribute to Rawtenstall as a cultural destination, supported by over 50 backers and partial funding from Lancashire County Council’s Culture and Sports Fund.
Future Developments
Marjan’s experience shows that when traditional sculptural techniques merge with digital manufacturing, there is potential for faster, more sustainable artistic workflows that remain emotionally and culturally resonant. Going forward, the model could expand to other stories or regional icons, inspiring both creators and communities.
Find out more about Marjan and help bring Sir Hare to Rawtenstall
Check out her incredible works at https://www.marjanwouda.com/
Your pledge today helps install a 3.5m Sir Hare made from Corten steel in Rawtenstall Town Square, celebrating Lancashire history, boosting local tourism and funding school packs that bring ecology and folklore to life. Visit Marjan’s crowdfunding page:
Looking to build practical 3D printing skills that deliver real impact and fast?
3D 360’s 3D Printing & Industry 4.0 Skills Bootcamps offer hands-on, industry-focused training that equips creatives and other professions with the tools to solve problems, increase productivity, improve efficiency and drive innovation. Suitable for all abilities, they cover 3D Printing, 3D CAD, robotics, automation, AI, Big Data and much more. Whether you’re just starting out or looking to upskill your team, these programmes provide a solid foundation in additive manufacturing.
Places go quickly, so register your interest or request a call back to find out more.
Delivered in partnership with Lancashire Skills & Employment Hub.
Objective
Develop digital skills to complement a tactile sculptural practice, improve collaboration with industry partners, and progress public art projects rooted in Lancashire folklore, including Bring Back the Hare to Rawtenstall.
Solution
Blend 3D CAD and in house prototyping with traditional methods, producing small models and visuals that help people back Bring Back the Hare and help fabricators see the design intent of future projects.
Outcome
Greater clarity in working with fabricators and engineers, improved efficiency and cost control, and momentum toward a permanent public sculpture installation in Rawtenstall.
“This is just the beginning. The Bootcamp has given me confidence to explore digital methods and merge them with traditional techniques – opening doors I didn’t know existed,”
