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.
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.
NEW SCULPTURE FROM ARTIST ALEX CHINNECK AND VAUXHALL MOTORS REVEALED AT SOUTHBANK CENTRE
'Alex Chinneck for Vauxhall Motors: Pick yourself up and pull yourself together.'
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.
'Alex Chinneck for Vauxhall Motors: Pick yourself up and pull yourself together.'
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.
Featured Gallery Vauxhall Corsa sculpture in London
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