Alphabetti Spaghetti, Alex Chinneck, 2024, Assembly, Bristol. Photo @ Charles Emerson
Synopsis
A family of playful sculptures has been created by British Artist Alex Chinneck for the Assembly building, Bristol.
From carefully crafted objects to monumental public sculptures, Alex Chinneck’s artworks are known for making the everyday extraordinary.
The five sculptures – ‘Wring ring’, ‘Alphabetti Spaghetti’, and three in the series titled ‘First Kiss at last light’ – guide visitors through the vibrant waterfront site in the heart of Bristol’s business district.
Description
Alphabetti Spaghetti
Alex Chinneck has created a new version of his knotted postbox for Cheese Lane, Bristol, to celebrate its re-opening as a public right of way following a 50 year closure. Painted pillar box red, the knotted post box complements the colourful design of Assembly Bristol, by architects Allford Hall Monaghan Morris, as well as the historic cobbles of Cheese Lane.
This is the first sculpture to greet visitors as it invites the passer by into the vibrant public realm of Assembly, Bristol, where they will discover the remaining sculptures in this playful family of works.
Alphabetti Spaghetti was made by Chinneck with the Morris Singer Foundry.
Wring ring
Following on from Alphabetti Spaghetti visitors will find Chinneck’s twisted phone box ‘Wring ring’, installed outside of BT’s South West hub in the heart of Assembly, Bristol.
Cast in metal with rippling, glazed windows that follow its twisting form, the phone box is illuminated at night.
Wring ring was made by Chinneck with the Pangolin Foundry
First kiss at night
First kiss at night are a pair of ‘knotted’ lamposts, one wrapped around the other. Standing at four metres tall in front of the cast iron railings and stonework of Bristol’s historic Floating harbour wall, the traditional aesthetic of the contemporary sculpture bridges the old and new.
With one sculpture cast in a bow form and the other romantically hugging the other, these sculptures boast a playful romanticism.
Cast in steel and weighing over 250kg, these sculptural street lamps are a must see at night as they animate and illuminate their setting – combining public art and civic function.
First kiss at night series was made by Chinneck with Millimetre UK and Smith and Wall Work engineers.
Further Reading:
Alex Chinneck is a British sculptor known for creating playful interventions in public space.
From carefully crafted objects to monumental public sculptures,
Alex Chinneck’s artworks make the everyday extraordinary.
Assembly is a new landmark development for Bristol. A contemporary destination that appeals to today’s diverse occupiers, offering a range of unique spaces for both offices and retail.
Building A is a 200,000 sq ft HQ office building completing in 2021 which has been let in its entirety to BT.
Starting Q4 2020 and completed in 2024, the second phase comprises Buildings B and C which are 27,000 and 92,000 sq.ft respectively.
From the founders’ earliest collaboration at university to now, more than 30 years later, Allford Hall Monaghan Morris has been based on a firm commitment to the design of buildings of economy, elegance and delight: buildings that reflect a continuing belief in the ability of outstanding architecture to last through time; buildings whose success is defined not just by the use for which they were commissioned, but by their ability to adapt to different uses; buildings that aim to make a positive and lasting contribution to the city around them; buildings that form the backdrop to the city and the theatre of everyday life, but that can be, in themselves, extraordinary.
The principal focus of the practice, therefore, has been the design of everyday buildings in the city. It is our belief that such buildings can, through intelligent design and a professional methodology, be made extraordinary.
Read an article celebrating Alex Chinneck’s sculptures for Bristol on Design Boom here. Posted Oct 29 2024.
Author: Matthew Burgos for Design Boom.
