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Small
Worlds by Simon
Thomas
At-Bristol undertook a major Public Art
commissioning programme linking the public open spaces themed around
reflection and exploration. The Public Art complements the rich
architectural heritage of the site and extends the themes of
Explore and the former Wildwalk
by encouraging people to look at the World in a new way. By animating
the public spaces the Public Art helps to create a unique urban space.
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In
front of Explore, facing Anchor Road, is Small
Worlds by Simon Thomas – a dramatic
cone which rises 18ft into the air.
This striking piece, sponsored by the Institute of Physics, commemorates
the work of Paul Dirac, the Nobel Prize winning
scientist/mathematician who was born and bred in Bristol.
Paul Dirac is most famous
for his contribution to the Quantum theory and his discovery of
anti-matter. Rather than trying to describe energy fields with static 3-D
form, Simon Thomas has concentrated more on pointing towards the small
worlds which Dirac studied – which gives the sculpture its name. Colour,
heat and light are also vital elements in the artist’s approach as these
natural phenomena are only described adequately by Quantum theory.
Simon Thomas’ dramatic
interpretation of his subject presents the idea in a clustering of cones
scaled by integrated proportional block-work. The colour of each block
varies slightly from its neighbour, ranging from a cool dark magenta at
the base area to a hotter and lighter sand colour at the top and centre,
reminiscent of a flame. |
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Fabrication
of the cone uses innovative techniques – first a full-size polystyrene
cone was covered in two layers of stainless steel mesh. This was supported
by a purpose-built steel frame support while the entire cone was coated in
two layers of ‘Fibrocem’ – a cement-rich render reinforced with
alkali-resistant chopped strand glass fibre. Once the polystyrene was
removed further coats of render where put on the inside. The outside was
sandblasted to produce the required texture, and various pigments added to
produce the essential colours.
Born
in Portsmouth in 1960, Simon Thomas, is known for his sculptures in both
private and public collections. Based at Spike Island in Bristol since
1997, Simon Thomas has recently worked closely with Hewlett Packard and in
1995 was Artist in Residence at Bristol University’s Physics Department.
Both these experiences have had a profound influence on his work, and led
to the construction of Small Worlds
– his most ambitious piece to date.
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