Loughborough sculptors create steel works of art for Sheffield Cathedral

21 June 2001
PR 01/57

Staff and students of the sculpture department at Loughborough University School of Art and Design have been commissioned by the world's leading stainless steel producers, AvestaPolarit, to create striking works of art for a new exhibition at Sheffield Cathedral.

With Sheffield, the 'city of steel', as home to AvestaPolarit's UK base, the exhibition of stainless steel sculptures is a fitting tribute to the city's heritage. The exhibition sprang from a conversation between the Dean of the cathedral, the Very Reverend Michael Sadgrove and Canon Jane Sinclair, Nigel Ward from AvestaPolarit, and Duncan Monroe of the Stainless Steel Federation. AvestaPolarit then approached the sculpture departments at Sheffield Hallam and Loughborough with a brief to design new works of art. All second-year students at Sheffield Hallam and Loughborough took up the challenge. Four students from each institution, and two members of staff from Loughborough were finally selected to realise their ideas in steel provided by AvestaPolarit.

The exhibition, 'Cathedral Steel', features a stunning range of contemporary sculptures which take their inspiration from a wide range of sources including the movement of light, the Cathedral's role as a place of peace and reflection, its congregation, and its striking new stained glass window.

The four students from Loughborough were Emma Binks, Matt Birkett, Nick Elphick and Graham Wheatcroft, and the staff were Sculpture Programme Leader and Reader in Fine Art, John Atkin, and Sculpture Lecturer, Dan Archer. During a special opening ceremony of the exhibition, Nick Elphick and Emma Binks were respectively awarded a first prize of £250 and a highly commended prize of £150.

"The cathedral is a daunting place to site a sculpture, but the students rose well to the challenge and the quality of their work is exceptional," said Dan Archer, who manages all second year site specific projects for Loughborough's sculpture students. "This has been a wonderful opportunity for the students to experiment with stainless steel - which is usually beyond their means - and to take advantage of the latest technology is laser cutting from computer-aided designs which they have created themselves."

'Cathedral Steel' at Sheffield Cathedral is currently open to the public and the last day is Saturday 24 June.

For further information please contact
Anna Seddon, Publicity Office, Loughborough University,
Tel: 01509 223445, Email: A.J.Seddon@lboro.ac.uk

Notes to editors

Loughborough is an established university, with an international reputation for excellence in teaching and research, and for unrivalled sporting achievement. An average teaching quality score of 22.7 out of 24 places Loughborough first equal with Cambridge in the UK. Industry highlights Loughborough in their top five for graduate recruitment. In Research, more than 70% of staff were assessed in grades 4 and above. The University has been awarded three Queen's Anniversary Prizes - for its collaboration with industries such as BAE Systems, Ford and Rolls Royce; for its work in developing countries; and for its pioneering role in developing applications of modern optics and laser technologies.

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