‘Both artists and scientists try to represent things that can’t be seen’
While working on the project, William Cook (Year 9) found time to ask Conrad Shawcross about what inspires his work and about the connection between the arts and science
Above : Conrad Shawcross at Dulwich College.
Pictured : Paradigm Study (Solid), 2014. Photograph by Stephen White. Courtesy of the artist and Victoria Miro Gallery, London.
as a ‘porous’ building, which collapses the false demarcation between the ‘two cultures’ of the Arts and the Sciences. Embodying the symbiotic relationship between creativity and discovery, the Shawcross sculpture has been designed to complement the spirit of endurance proudly represented by Sir Ernest Shackleton’s James Caird lifeboat, which is displayed at the heart of the James Caird Hall. Conrad Shawcross is connected to the College through his grandfather, Hartley William Shawcross, Baron Shawcross, who was Chairman of the Board of Governors at Dulwich College from 1959 to 1972. The timing of our collaboration is ideal, as Conrad Shawcross has been working in Dulwich Park for the past two years on ‘Three Perpetual Chords’, a sculpture commissioned by Southwark Council to replace the Barbara Hepworth piece, ‘Two Forms (Divided Circle)’, stolen in 2011. It also seems fitting that Shawcross’s work will be tailor-made to fit within a building designed under the name of fellow Royal Academician, Sir Nicholas Grimshaw. The project has been made possible by The Linbury Trust in memory of Alexander ‘Alick’ Hamilton, who was Housemaster of Ivyholme from 1944 to 1953.
‘The goal of the project is to produce something that speaks about the shared concerns between Art and Science and in that vein will encourage students, teachers and hopefully even the wider community to think more deeply about the ideas the sculpture might represent.’ Oscar Maguire (Year 13) Architecture Society
I did a small piece for Westminster School quite a long time ago, but this is the first major sculptural piece for a school. I have also done a few things for universities, such as one in Southampton, and I’ve made a sculpture for The Oxford Science Park. Is this your first commission for a school? Your grandfather, Hartley Shawcross, was a governor here at the College. Do you feel that your installation is reviving the connection between your family and Dulwich College? Yes, it’s nice to be reacquainted with the school and for the historical relationship to be rekindled. It wasn’t dangerous. There were health and safety issues in the tunnel, but of course we had to abide by them just to acknowledge that we didn’t risk anything. It was quite an extreme place to work, but it wasn’t a dangerous place to work. You made a sculpture called ‘Chord’ in a disused tram tunnel in Holborn, which I read was quite dangerous to make: was that your most challenging piece? What motivated you to do it, even though you faced dangers? Maths, Physics, History of Art and Art. What were your favourite subjects at school?
Yes, I think I’ve been interested in what time is. It’s still quite nice that, as I’ve got older, I’ve found this wasn’t just an adolescence issue: quantifying and fully understanding time is still something that troubles even some of our greatest mathematicians. It is still a huge challenge and since my first early years of work, I have always been interested and inspired by it. Time is a big influence on your work. Have you always been interested in the mysteries of time? There are quite a lot of new things. It will be very light and having to create all the triangles will be difficult as the geometry will be incredibly precise, so it’s going to be very difficult to get that perfect. We are also using a cord in the centre, with arms, which we haven’t faced before. The sculpture is formally responding to the large void that is there and full of lighting. I hope it feels like a scientific model, almost like a DNA model; I want it to have that scientific rationale. Hopefully, it will feel quite rational and scientific, like envisioned information of something that can’t be seen as part of our normal world. What emotions are you trying to provoke with it? Are you trying any new ideas in the sculpture for Dulwich?
‘The piece should have an intrinsic beauty that emerges from both the visual aspect and the scientific principles behind it.’
Daniel Torren Peraire (Year 12) Physics Society
‘The most important point of using the atrium for this piece is that the surrounding space makes the work inclusive for all; because the sculpture has been designed to work with the space, everyone who uses it will be compelled to engage with the link between art and science that the building represents.’ William Cook (Year 9) Art Society
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