Thanet District Council has given artist Alex Chinneck permission to use an empty property on Godwin Road in the Cliftonville area to create his latest innovative art installation as part of his project ‘From the knees of my nose to the belly of toes’. At 28 years old, this is his boldest project yet as he continues to theatrically combines art and architecture in physically amazing ways.
The British artist and designer began the construction at the end of August, on his most ambitious installation to date. The plan is to peel the façade of a four-storey house in Margate away from the rest of the building. As the curving bricks, windows and doors slide into the front garden of the property, which has been vacant for eleven years to reveal its upper floor to the public below.
Cliftonville is a district striking for both the grandeur of its architecture and for the challenging social issues it has faced in the last thirty years. Together with the Council’s widely applauded use of culture as a tool for regeneration, this provides an ideal context for the work.
The artist chose 1 Godwin Road from a number of properties owned by the council, for its character and location. In the short-term, the artwork will attract people to rediscover Cliftonville as part of the UK's original seaside resort with its historic architecture and growing creative buzz.
Ten leading companies from across British industries have agreed to donate all necessary materials, manufacturing capabilities and professional services required to build the sliding facade.
This project follows Chinnecks acclaimed 2012 installation ‘Telling the truth through false teeth’, in which the artist installed 1248 pieces of glass across the façade of a factory in Hackney to create the illusion that its 312 windows had been identically smashed and cracked.
Alex Chinneck is a London based artist and designer: www.alexchinneck.com. He is the founder of The Sculpture House: www.thesculpturehouse.co.uk, a member of the Royal British Society of Sculptors and a graduate of Chelsea College of Art and Design.
Cllr Clive Hart, Leader of Thanet District Council, said: “I am delighted Thanet District Council is supporting the contribution of the arts in this area. This kind of innovative art will encourage and attract people from all over the world to Thanet, which is a very exciting prospect for us.
Thanet is a haven for the arts and welcomes people world-wide to see its stunning and picturesque sceneries and sunsets.”
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