If you’re planning to travel around the UK this summer, then you should take the opportunity to visit some of the UK’s most fantastic art installations.
Not only is some of the UK’s best art located outside galleries, but many of their hosting venues are free to visit too!
If you’re looking to add some art and culture to your summer holidays, then here are five fab art installations to check off your list.
1. Crystal Palace Dinosaurs – Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins
If you’re looking for the opportunity to walk with dinosaurs (without the worry of becoming lunch), then the Crystal Palace Dinosaurs make for a great family outing.
Opened in 1854, these dinosaur sculptures might be considered anatomically incorrect, however but that won’t take away from the wonder and history of this installation.
Find them in Crystal Palace Park the next time you visit London.
2. Angel of the North, Antony Gormley
One of Antony Gormley’s best known works, the Angel of the North was completed in 1998 and is located in Gateshead.
Due to how close the sculpture resides to the A1, it’s viewed by over 30 million people every year.
Weighing 200 tonnes, this remarkable installation was manufactured and assembled by Hartlepool Steel Fabrications, and despite initial objections, it is now considered to be one of the most iconic public art installations.
3. Bleigiessen, Thomas Heatherwick
Created in 2002 by Thomas Heatherwick, ‘Bleigiessen’ is located London’s Welcome Trust. near Euston Station, making it another must visit on your next trip to the country’s capital city.
Bleigiessen’ is made out of 142,000 glass spheres, each suspended from the ceiling of the lobby by more than 20,000 steel wires. These were provided by the experts at Ormiston Wire, a company no stranger to assistance of art installation production around the world.
Don’t forget to take some photos while you’re there, the way sunlight reflects against the glass spheres can make an excellent addition to you Instagram.
4. Square the Block – Richard Wilson
For an installation that’s much more on the abstract side, make sure to visit Richard Wilson’s Square the Block affixed to the corner of the LSE Law School building.
This combination of art and engineering copies of two random sections of building and scrambles them together for a fascinating piece of artistic architecture.
5. A Bullet from a Shooting Star, Alex Chinneck
Alex Chinneck’s A Bullet from a Shooting Star is hard to miss.
Located in Greenwich, this upside-down electricity pylon is constructed from 466 pieces of steel and weighs 15 tonnes.
For the best viewing experience, A Bullet from a Shooting Star should really be seen at night as the lattice design of the pylon creates fantastic patterns of light that you won’t be able to resist photographing.
Have you visited any of these installations? Let us know what you thought in the comments below!
Thank you for reading.
