Wire Mermaid — Martin Debenham
Martin Debenham · A mermaid in stainless steel wire · Location not published
Photo from the Street Art Utopia archive; photographer and capture date not recorded. Artwork: Martin Debenham. Full photograph shown.
This mermaid by British sculptor Martin Debenham is made of stainless steel wire, its strands following the curves of the body and flowing into a long tail; My Modern Met describes her sitting on a rock by a lily pond, as though contemplating a swim. Source Checked One site names the piece Mermaid 3 and says it was made to be placed on a rock, preferably by a lily pond; Debenham has made more than one mermaid, so the title is not certain. Source Reported Where it stands today has not been published. Source Unconfirmed
Seen Aug 2021: the newest dated source, Demotivateur (22 August 2021), shows the mermaid on a rock gazing at the water. It is a publication date, not an on-site sighting. Source Reported
💡 4 things to know
- Made for the water’s edgeAwesome Inventions reported that the piece was specifically created to be placed on a rock, preferably by a lily pond. Source Reported
- Lines of wireMy Modern Met wrote that each strand is shaped into curves that follow the female body, then flow into a long mermaid tail. Source Checked
- A self-taught sculptorMy Modern Met calls Debenham a self-taught British sculptor whose stainless steel wire works are inspired by fantasy and nature. Source Checked
- Started with topiary framesAccording to Demilked, Debenham lives in the Dorset countryside and began sculpting after a temporary job making topiary frames in 2008. Source Reported
📍 Where it is
Not published. The sources show the mermaid on a rock by a pond; Awesome Inventions listed it as up for sale in October 2020. Source Source Unconfirmed
🗓️ Sightings
- 20189 Mar
On a rock by a lily pond · My Modern Met
- 202022 Oct
Named Mermaid 3, up for sale · Awesome Inventions
- 202122 Aug
Gazing at a pool of water · Demotivateur
Every stamp links to its source. All are amber: publication dates, not dated on-site photographs.
🗞️ In the sources
Figurative Steel Wire Sculptures Are Metal Masterpieces Merging Nature With Fantasy
“a wire-sculpted mermaid sits on a rock by a lily pond, positioned as though she’s contemplating going for a swim.”
The mermaid is placed on a rock by a lily pond.
Artist Martin Debenham Creates Beautiful Sculptures Using Steel Wire
“One of his most popular works, Mermaid 3, has mesmerized viewers for its flowing form that follows the shape of a mermaid.”
The site names the piece Mermaid 3.
Cet artiste britannique crée de magnifiques sculptures en fil de fer
“Elle illustre une magnifique sirène qui semble perdue dans ses pensées.”
It shows a beautiful mermaid who seems lost in thought.
✅ The facts
- Setting
- Shown on a rock beside water; by a lily pond, according to My Modern Met Source Source Checked
- Title
- Mermaid 3, according to Awesome Inventions. The same site also shows a mermaid photo whose image file is named “mermaid 2”, so the title may belong to another of his mermaids Source Reported
- Year
- Not published Source Unconfirmed
- Location
- Not published Source Unconfirmed
🔗 Related
- Look What They’re Made Of (11 Photos) — Street Art Utopia
- Martin Debenham: Sculpture — the artist’s site
- All Artwork Files
All sources & image credits
- Martin Debenham: Sculpture — the artist’s site (the mermaid is not listed)
- My Modern Met — 9 March 2018
- Demilked — 12 February 2019 (credits My Modern Met; does not mention the mermaid)
- Awesome Inventions — 22 October 2020
- Demotivateur — 22 August 2021 (French)
- Hero image: the photograph used in the Street Art Utopia post, photographer not recorded (WAU media #12789); the share image is a 16:9 version of it (WAU media #12790).
Last checked: 12 November 2026 · How we verify art