After what was described as 'months of extremely intensive work and a serious number of all nighters', four bleary eyed, London based Bartlett graduates: Kevin Green, Frances Reynolds, Ned Scott and Greg Nordberg, entered the Noilly Pratt sculpture competition. The aim was to encourage the creation of sculpture using natural materials that explored the qualities of the natural environment; the chosen piece would sit in Noilly Pratt's beautiful courtyard.
Insisting they 'only entered the compeition as practise' the foursome quickly won the UK round with their edgy, eccentric design. After being whisked off to Paris for the grand final, where fierce compeititon from US and French finalists and a panel of judges awaited, they were successfully comissioned 22,000 Euros to build their sculpture.
The sculpture is composed of two intertwined shells, each constructed of 200 staves of steam-bent green oak. Each stave was soaked for 2 days, steamed for 45 minutes, and bent over two custom moulds to create a unique curve and twist. The inside surfaces are charred and painted with varnish containing a combination of herbs and spices. The two shells wrap around eachother to form an enclosure in which the air becomes infused with the wonderful scents of camomile, nutmeg and orange rind.
This is not the only inspiring and somewhat fanciful project to be presented by the foursome. Currently illuminating the windows of Farringdon's Cosmo bar is a whimsical display of moving bicycle wheels, attached to an engine with gears, each jazzed up by fairy lights. The wheels continue to move up and down, manically spinning at random intervals so that passers by stop inquisitivley.
With such raw talent, I wondered what 2010 would hold for these talents grads. 'We'll certainly be entering more competitions' says Frances, who claims they're now armed with a fiery ambition. 'Obviously we need to come up with a collective name, and then, well world dominance of course'.
