Artist S Mark Gubb has unveiled his largest public art work to date – a 10 metre high illuminated lightning bolt for Cardiff city centre. The permanent public sculpture, fabricated from painted steel and glass, has been commissioned by Admiral Group, Stoford Developments and EMP Projects and is sited outside Admiral’s new eleven-storey offices.
Alight has been designed to contain movement; its sides are inset with coloured lights that scroll down from top to bottom giving a sense of drama. “It’s designed to feel exciting and precarious; to be fun and inspiring,” said Gubb.
Gubb sees Alight as a public artwork for everyone – the wider public, the workers of the Ty Admiral Building and of course the city’s burgeoning art audiences.
Gubb, who lives and works in Cardiff, said: “I am both delighted and extremely excited to have been awarded this commission. I want it to make people smile as much as I want it to hold its own in a part of the city with so much bold architecture.
“I want it to reflect the energy you can feel here, at the same time drawing people’s eyes up and out of the space in to the sky, from where the bolt has metaphorically fallen.”
Earlier this year Ben Borthwick, writing for a-n News, called on Cardiff City Council to ensure funding to enable Cardiff Contemporary, a city-wide art festival, to become ‘world class’ in ambition and scope. High profile exhibitions from Artes Mundi, g39 and Ffotogallery have all led to an increasing focus on the city’s contemporary art scene.
Also on a-n.co.uk:
Cardiff Open Studios Weekend: more than 140 artists across the city – Bob Gelsthorpe reports
Cardiff Contemporary: big ambitions need long-term commitments – Ben Borthwick argues that much still needs to be done if the city’s contemporary art scene is to fulfil its potential
Cardiff Contemporary: new ways to experience the city – Rory Duckhouse reports on the city-wide exhibition
New arrivals: Cardiff Airport’s art commissions – Gordon Dalton reports
