HULLABALO0

When first asked to make a piece of sculpture for the school I was immediately drawn to the open aspect of the present site with its relationship to the house and the woodland, and its potential as a safe open space for the children (as well as staff and parents) to enjoy. I liked the idea of providing a focus (both visual and physical) for the children, that would be interactive (in that they can move around and through it), safe, non-threatening, and of a scale appropriate to the setting.

Working to a budget and to such a scale meant looking to new materiels. A construction of high density polystyrene encased in epoxy resin and woven glass fibre cloth proved to be the answer. ( I had heard it was used to make light aircraft and felt that if people were trusting their lives to it then it would be fine for the school.) This method of construction allowed me the freedom to give a feeling of lightness to the piece as a whole. This in turn suggests that rather than acting in a supporting role, the two conical forms are instead anchors, restraining the elements above from floating away. The high tensile strength of the materials also allowed me to create an arch without the two sides quiet touching, only apparent as one moves around the piece, but which gives a delicate tension that would be lacking if more traditional materials with their inherent strength to weight ratios had been used.