#London #GravityDefying - If you're in England over the next week or so and swing by the London
Eye on the southern bank of the River Thames, you might notice an
interesting installation. That's where GM's British subsidiary Vauxhall has placed a full-scale Corsa hatchback, suspended upside down on a ribbon of curved tarmac. The sculpture is the work of British artist Alex Chinneck, who is known
for his gravity-defying installations. Chinneck worked with a team of
structural engineers, steel benders, scenic artists, metal workers,
carpenters, tarmac layers and road painters to put it all together. The
vehicle hangs 15 feet on the air on 50 feet of arched pavement with no
visible structural support. "The installation certainly celebrates the new Corsa as a ball of energy – a small car with a big heart," said Vauxhall
design chief Mark Adams.
"Alex Chinneck's work is astounding, he's an
amazing British sculptor who creates illusionary structures with the
most in-depth engineering and design. Above all, the astonishing rip
curl embodies the fun people have driving the much-loved Vauxhall
Corsa." The installation will be on display at the Southbank Centre Car Park until Wednesday, February 25. Thursday 19th February, British artist Alex Chinneck today revealed his
latest illusory artwork in collaboration with Vauxhall Motors. Following
2014's 'floating building' in Covent Garden,'Pick yourself up and pull
yourself together' seesthe artist suspend a new Vauxhall Corsa, 15 feet
in the air at London's Southbank Centre.
The collaboration with Vauxhall Motors turns a parking space on its
head, peeling back 15 metres of arching tarmac to turn a one tonne car
upside-down as the vehicle grips the curling road with no visible
support. Vauxhall Motors commissioned Chinneck to create a piece inspired by the
new Corsa, which was launched earlier this year with a campaign based on
an A-Z of British motoring. The gravity defying feat can be found
inSouthbank Centre Car Park, beside The London Eye, until Wednesday 25th
February 2015. Speaking on the artwork, Alex Chinneck said,
"I see sculpture as the
physical reinterpretation of the material world around us and so by
introducing fictional narratives into familiar scenarios, I try to make
everyday situations as extraordinary as they can be. I choose to do this
through illusions because I think there is something both optimistic
and captivating about defying the realms of possibility. "With an effortlessly curling road I hoped to transcend the material
nature of tarmac and stone, giving these typically inflexible materials
an apparent fluidity. Vauxhall Motors allowed me a great amount of
creative freedom and this collaboration offered my studioan exciting
platform to explore new areas of engineering and fabrication."
After making Covent Garden hover with 2014's 'Take My Lightning, But
Don't Steal my Thunder'and 'A Pound of Flesh for 50p' where a house in
Southwarkgradually melted to the ground, Alex wanted to create a public
installation of significant sculptural and theatrical impact, which
complimented the new Corsa's design. Commenting on the commission, Mark Adams, Head of Design at Vauxhall
Motors said: "The installation certainly celebrates the new Corsa as a
ball of energy – a small car with a big heart. Alex Chinneck's work is
astounding, he's an amazing British sculptor who creates illusionary
structures with the most in-depth engineering and design. Above all, the
astonishing rip curl embodies the fun people have driving the
much-loved Vauxhall Corsa."
As well as Alex himself, the sculpture has been produced by a team of
structural engineers, steel benders, scenic artists, metal workers,
carpenters, tarmac layers and road painters, creating an object that was
designed tooccupy the absolute maximum UK road-legal dimensions so it
can be installed overnight. "Simple in concept yet structurally, technically and logistically
complex, this project looks to deliver an experience that can be
appreciated by different people for different reasons. While I am most
excited by the hidden engineering and complex manipulation of concealed
steel, others will simply enjoy the accessible theatricality of the
illusion at play," said Alex Chinneck.
Vauxhall Motors has worked with documentary director Chris Tubbs to
create both a behind-the-scenes film, offering insights into how the
project developed and a time-lapse of the piece's installation. To view
both visit www.vauxhall.co.uk/alexchinneck. 'Alex Chinneck for Vauxhall Motors: Pick yourself up and pull yourself
together' is currently running from Thursday 19th February until
Wednesday 25th February at the Southbank Centre Car Park.
Address:
Southbank Centre Car Park
Hungerford Bridge
Belvedere Road
London, SE1 8XX
Vauxhall Motors recently launched the 'A to Z of Corsa', an affectionate
nod and rebellious take on the Vauxhall Corsa, which has sold over 1.8
million vehicles in its 22 years on the road.