Skytower by Rob Mulholland

Location
Rawyards Park, Airdri
Central Scotland, UK

Materials
12mm steel rod [ shaped ]

Dimensions
236.22″H

Price
On request

The story behind the piece

The artistic concepts of Constructivism and De-constructivism have always intrigued Rob. Earlier in his career he was drawn to the manifesto of the Russian Constructivist Vladimir Tatlin, in particular his Monument to the Third International [ 1919 ] ‘Tatlin’s Tower.’ Rob was interested in this fusion of Architecture and Fine Art as a social and political statement.

With Skytower Rob refers to this manifesto, in particular the vein of utilitarian art established by Tatlin and Rodchenko in the period up to the Constructivist exhibition at the 1922 Russische Ausstellung in Berlin.

Skytower, while referring to constructivist ideology also aims to introduce the factors of natural chaos and de-construction. This balance between order and chaos, force and reaction is observed and reflected in Skytower.

The challenges involved in making outdoor installations and public artworks are numerous, but the most crucial aspect to consider is the weather and the elements. With this in mind Rob was inspired on his first visit to the location to create something which reflected the power of nature. The windswept hillside is only about six hundred feet above sea level, but he was struck by commanding views and the openness and scale of the landscape and distant sky.

The tower stretches up into the sky some 6 metres, silhouetted against the skyline overlooking Central Scotland. The sculpture is made from cut lengths of metal rod which have been shaped to resemble sticks and willow. Each metal rod is welded and interwoven to create the structure, with over six thousand welds and fourteen hundred metres of steel rod.

It is purposefully geometric with references to standing monolithic stones and historical architectural structures. This man–made structure battles against the elements on a windswept hillside. In a moment an unseen force, a sudden gust of wind, an unstoppable force of nature rips through the fragile structure scattering the branches and re-shaping the tower. This moment of flux is captured and frozen in time. The image defies gravity as the sticks are suspended, floating in mid-air. In a sense one loses control over the structure, it becomes an active element of the environment as it reacts to the power of nature.

Skytower could be asking the viewer to consider the fragility of man-made structures, as civilisation endeavours to push the boundaries of physics and construction methods in Architecture. Rob asks us to consider the relationship and balance that we have with nature. The clear message is that nature will endure and control our destiny regardless of what technological advances human kind makes.

In 2014 ‘Skytower’ was received the GAGA award for architecture.

Vestige Figures by Rob Mulholland

Location
David Marshall Lodge Visitors Centre
Aberfoyle, Scotland. U.K

Materials
Stainless steel. Mirror polished.

Dimensions
73.2″H

Price
$20,000-$30,000

The story behind the piece
The essence of who we are as individuals in relation to others and our environment, forms a strong aspect of my artistic practise.

In Vestige I wanted to explore this relationship further by creating a group, a community within the protective elements of the woods, reflecting the past inhabitants of the space.

Before the First World War this area of Scotland was open hillside with small sheep farming Crofts [ farms ] and rural communities. The crofters were moved to other land by the government as there was a desperate need for timber after the war. The area was planted with fast growing conifer trees suitable for harvesting softwood and the landscape altered once again.

You can still see the faint outlines of the crofts and past settlements within the forest. This intrigued me and I wanted to find a visual form that would represent the past inhabitants of this land.

The six male and female figures represent a vestige, a faint trace of the past people and communities that once occupied and lived in this space. The figures absorb their environment, reflecting in their surface the daily changes of life in the forest. They create a visual notion of non – space, a void, as if they are at one moment part of our world and then, as they fade into the forest, they become an intangible outline.

The human desire to leave a trace of ones-self for future generations has always intrigued me. It’s a driving force to create and leave a semblance of our-selves as individuals and society. The reflective figures ask us to look again and consider the symbiotic relationship we have with our natural and man-made environment.

Random Act of De-Constructvism by Rob Mulholland

Rob was invited by the curators of International Arts Residence in Moscow to create a landmark sculpture for the new International Sculpture Park in Vyksa, Russia. The event was co-ordinated as part of the 2013 Art – Ovrag International Festival which involved over 300 visual artists and performers in dance and music from over the world.

The main challenge was create a large sculpture in just 5 days to be ready for the opening of the Festival on the 31st of May. Normally this size of sculpture would take at least 4 weeks to complete, but Rob had to complete two other large scale installations in Germany and France just prior to his visit to Russia. So with an extremely tight schedule Rob arrived at the end of May firstly in Moscow, then onward to Vyksa to commence work on sculpture ‘Random act of desconstructivism’

The commission brief was to create a link with 20th century Russian Avant-garde and present contemporary art aesthetics. Rob was drawn to the work of Russian Constructivists for inspiration, particularly sculptors Tatlin and Gabo. With this historical reference Rob decided to design a de-constructed tower. The aim was to create a constructivist inspired tower which had succumbed to forces of gravity and force. The interplay with man-made structures and the unpredictable aspects of nature represent the aspects of order and chaos associated with the manifesto of de-constructivism. This concept also represents the continued human relationship with the natural world. As we try to control and distort our environment we are learning that nature responds in ever more unpredictable ways.