rings hanging
2008
2050mm drop. 500mm aprox width
My focus with this outdoor sculpture, is an aesthetic appreciation of these steel rings and how they are suspended. Its about weight, tension, order and movement.
I ground back the rings and treated them with automotive clearcoat which would slow down but not entirely arrest the oxidation process.
The rings were then arranged in a formation which would allow each one freedom of movement, but when stilled every ring would sit at a precise angle in relation to the others. The formation is balanced but irregular.
I used yacht rigging strops to suspend them. I love stainless steel rigging's tactile quality and the knowledge that these precise fixings are capable of supporting huge weight. I wanted the sculpture to be able to support someone climbing on it, as I intended it to be genuinely playful.
The fixing plate was cut, ground and drilled by hand and then attached to a large structural timber beam.
People seem fascinated seeing such heavy, solid objects suspended in the air. Captured as they are, they can appear still, or falling and rising like bubbles or raindrops.