10th April

Great to see my forthcoming exhibition Trace, advertised in the Spring issue of the RA Magazine.

Trace will run from 19 May - 30 June at Kevis House Gallery, Petworth.

20th February

A few weeks to go until the public inquiry for the planning appeal of Ascendant: The Elizabeth Landmark, and the Times has caught wind of it. Actually rather a balanced article!

16th December

Every now and then I put pen to paper and galvanise my thoughts into words. Being a material smith rather than a word smith, this doesn't happen very often, so I'm always pleased when promoted to sharpen my saw by providing text for an article.

I'm delighted to have had an opportunity to do just this with the Friends of the RWA in their online magazine The Floating Circle.

You can read the full article here.

31st August

The news that my design for the Elizabeth Landmark has won the commission, has been kicking up some excitement in the press. Here's a couple for starters...
Please click on the bold link to read.

Artnet news

Newcastle Chronicle

29th August

I am thrilled to announce that I have won a major public sculpture commission to be sited in the raw beauty of Northumberland. This 55 metre contemporary sculpture celebrates Queen Elizabeth II's service to country and her life-long dedication to The Commonwealth.

The Elizabeth Landmark will become a new cultural destination on the Ray Estate and in the north of England, benefiting the local community and economy by being a catalyst for regeneration.

Made from Corten weathering steel, this elevated slice of hillside has been inspired by the rugged and undulating landscape in which it sits. The elegant and robustly engineered aerodynamic form references the rich history of local iron ore and stone mining. Lateral fins which change in pitch and frequency as they rise up the sculpture accentuate the sense of perspective and movement, creating contrasting shadows along its 85 metre length.

Directly shaped by the topography of the hill, the delicately arched form would completely disappear if placed back into the hill beneath. The carved space left in the hillside below, which has given rise to the positive sculpture above, forms a canyon-like rock slot. To walk this from end to end will be to experience the geology of the local landscape: a walk through Deep Time itself.

The specific topography of Cold Law hill in Northumberland has directly informed not just the sculpture and the rock slot, but also the circumnavigating system of paths, which allow ever changing perspectives of the sculpture whilst walking around it. Like a reverse giant gnomon of a sundial, the sculpture points directly to the sun at its zenith on Midsummer’s day.

"To have the opportunity to design a landmark sculpture to be placed in this raw and beautiful landscape is undoubtedly a privilege and a challenge that I wholeheartedly relish. The success of the sculpture will grow from a sensitivity to land and place: born in form, material and presence from the majestic geography that supports it."

My commission proposal for a major landmark sculpture in Northumberland, along with the two other shortlistees, is unsurprisingly gaining a fair bit of interest within the press. Here are a few of the articles I've spotted over the past couple of days - please click on the title link in bold:

Artnet

The Telegraph

BBC News

Metro News

Plus, a nice mention on page 4 of The Telegraph broadsheet yesterday.

2nd May

'North East sculpture taller than the Angel of the North planned to honour the Queen' : read the article in the Newcastle Chronicle here

Monday 11th January

I'm delighted to say that I have been elected an Academician at the RWA.

I was selected on the strength of the four works above, plus supporting documents and images.

Founded in 1844, it is one of the five Royal Academies of Art in the UK.

Monday 29th May

What an inspiration: Dr Sharon Ann Holgate has written a physics text book for undergraduate students reading STEM subjects and the arts. Its also a very accessible book for the lay reader, exploring aspects of physics, engineering and maths by using examples of art and in particular sculpture, to demonstrate how these principles are used in the real world.

I'm pleased to see my Kings Cross sculpture Unity adorning the covers and its engineering and design discussed within the chapters, along side my Kensington sculpture Glorious Beauty. For example, she discusses the importance of the underground fixing points: these are always unseen within the finished sculpture, but are vital for the security and structural integrity of the work and consequently much engineering goes into the design and fabrication of these hidden elements. Bravo

20th April
After months of hard work I finally have this publication in my hands - and it feels good, really good.

10 Public Sculptures showcases my work dotted around the country in a beautiful designed book. Its layout is clear and descriptive with powerful images of my sculptures within the public realm. It has a super introduction by Anne Elliott and an brilliant contextualising essay by Tom Flynn in the centre. There is all the usual information about what, how, when, where etc. alongside a visual story line of two of the sculptures.

Very much celebrating my larger public work, which complements my studio based practice and gallery explorations, I had a pretty clear idea what I wished the book to do commercially. So it was a joy and an education to work with the design company Antman who held my hand through the subtle process of design layout, choice of stock, image selection and text, all of which achieves the design brief whether you give it a quick three second flick through, or a longer in-depth read. There's something gorgeous about its rubberised covers which make you want to keep hold of it.

To view a high res. pdf of the book click this link...
(please be patient with download as file is 83MB)

10 Public Sculptures - Hitchens.pdf