This year’s programme “Sculpture in the City” provides city workers and visitors with the opportunity to see 14 sculptures set against the background of the historic and modern buildings of the City, from St. Botolph without Bishopsgate to the north to Leadenhall Market in the south. 13 of the artworks have been installed; the 14th will appear in September.
The artists all raise different questions through their sculpture. The American artist Bruce Beasley explores the tension between precision engineering and organic form through his work, for which he uses 3D software “without the constraints of gravity” to create the forms which are then cast in bronze, while “Ghost” by Adam Chodzk, hanging in the Leadenhall Market is “a kayak, a sculpture, a vessel, a coffin, a costume and a camera rig”. Chodzko designed the kayak to create an archive of journeys of members of public invited to be ferried in it, as if to the Island of the Dead.
In the shadow of Lloyds of London is “Old DNA” by Folkert de Jong was developed from a 3D scan of a suit of armour worn by Henry VIII, presenting a complex portrait of power and the way it can both endure and decay and also perhaps turn into something alien.
In “Days of Judgement – Cats 1 & 2” by Laura Ford, Adam and Eve are represented by two anxious cats with blank faces onto which viewers can project their own fears and concerns, while “Charity” by Damien Hirst is a 22 ft high copy of the Spastics Society’s (now Scope) charity collection box, which was commonly found outside shops a few decades ago, though this one has been vandalised and the contents stolen.
“Broken Pillar #12” by Shan Hur has been designed for its location in St Helen’s Churchyard and appears to be timeless, standing as if it has been there for ever, incorporating a found object that encourages the viewer to question the world around it.
In “O my friends, there are no friends” by Sigalit Landau, bronze shoes sit on the pavement. Where are the people – have they gone or are they yet to come? In fact, Landau views this as “a commemoration of the future, when we will be able to slip into these shoes and be part of a community that will create a better history, with more solidarity, more generosity and regeneration”.
Kris Martin has two sculptures – “Altar”, which is a metal replica of the frame of the fifteenth-century Ghent Altarpiece by Hubert and Jan Van Eyck. Without the beautiful painting to admire, Martin asks us to use the sculpture as a window and use our eyes to look at the city around us. In his nearby sculpture “Bells II”, he has joined two church bells at the mouth so that no sound can be released, part of his investigation into how small adjustments can achieve radical results.
In “Organisms of Control #8”, Keita Miyazaki is seeking to create a new vision of the future from, in this case, parts of old car engines. The sculpture emanates sounds, though which Miyazaki is seeking to achieve a connection between Japan and London.
Easy to miss as they are so small, Carson, Emma, Takashi, Zezi, Nia have been created by Tomoaki Suzuki at one-third their actual size. Because of their small scale, the figures physically draw the viewer down to their level where they have a serene and powerful presence. Going to the opposite end of the scale, “Rays (London)” by Xavier Veilhan is one of the largest installations and was designed specifically for its location to frame and question the views of the City opened up by recent construction activity.
Lastly, in September, alongside the opening of his new exhibition at the Royal Academy, will be “Forever” by Ai Weiwei – a collection of stainless-steel bikes – the name referring to the famous ‘Forever’ brand of bicycles manufactured in Shanghai since 1940. Once ubiquitous, both the marque and the bicycle itself is under threat from the increase demand for cars, just as in London we are going in the opposite direction.
