Metal Art Fabrication
Bespoke Metal Art
The Braid Sculpture
Blackburn, Lancashire
Artist: Simon Watkinson
The metal section was fully fabricated and bead-blasted at the m-tec headquarters. m-tec was also responsible for the delivery and installation of the Braid Sculpture to the Blackburn town centre location.
Illuminating Artistry:
m-tec's Role In The
Braid Sculpture Project.
Visually the sculptor wanted to make something that appeared to emanate from the floorscape without the need for a mediating plinth.
The LED lights in the granite suggest further strands that have been cut, as if the whole structure is in fact a fat fibre-optic cable harness emerging from the hard landscaping. The top plates are like the cards used in Jacquard looms for ‘programming’ the design.
Artists' Vision:
In simple terms the Braid draws on the notion of a multi-stranded element creating strength and dynamism. Within Blackburn it obviously draws upon the textile history of the area, along with an implied reference to diverse elements binding together.
With regard to the lighting, the use of light pipes allows the creation of large-scale elements of light. The colour changing LED fittings create a vivid rotational movement through the top section, enhancing the sense of turning that the stainless steel pipes establish.
An important aspect is the drama of the structure, the accumulation of rods supporting the more robust top section, set against the various city backdrops and sky. It is obviously a contemporary piece but refers back to an old Victorian lantern that used to occupy the site. As part of the newly landscaped site I think the two marry very well.
Lighting The Skyline:
A Contemporary Vision
Discover Related m-tec Projects.
Get In Touch.
To discuss how we can bring your stainless steel public art project to life, or if you have any other architectural metalwork or bespoke metal fabrication requirements, please contact us.
