Using the discarded aluminium from the original crown of thorns by Geoffrey Clark, I was interested in trying to create a piece that visualised the passage of time.
When the aluminium structure was first erected in 1964, it was not popular and many considered it out of place or inappropriate. Over the next 60 years, the spire has become an iconic emblem for the town, much loved and even featured on school uniforms.
The aluminium cladding on the original spire was anodised gold. This however weathered over the years to a pale grey. The pieces retrieved from the spire still have the original gold colour on the inside surfaces that were protected from the elements, creating an interesting bimetallic sheet.
I used the properties of the hard anodized gold surface, rolling it through metal rolling mills, fracturing the anodised coating to make each piece progressively paler in colour. Using 60 folds to represent the passing of 60 years, moving progressively from rich gold to pale silvery grey. This echoes the timeline illustrated on the street leading up to the church. The folded repeated forms took inspiration from the interior columns of the church as well as the pipes from the church organ, following the rhythmic patterns of these interior surfaces and details