Category Archives: Blog

ROCHESTER RIVERSIDE IN PRODUCTION – HARDSCAPE ENGLAND

Mid-September and it was up to Hardscape, Bolton to see progress on the manufacture of the bespoke inlaid granite paving units. As ever, the works are of a really high quality and Hardscape are always keen to progress & test their creative collaborations.

15 granite units are in production. These vary in size from 1200mm x 400mm x 75mm to 900mm x 300mm x 75mm and are destined to be installed at the thresholds to housing & apartment blocks at Rochester.

15 granite paving units for Rochester Riverside with inlaid and sandblasted details. Image: Christopher Tipping

This work is achieved via water jet cutting and inlay techniques using colour matched resin to bond granite elements in place. Text and other motifs are also sandblasted at varying depths.

1 of 15 granite paving units for Rochester Riverside with inlaid and sandblasted details. Image: Christopher Tipping
Detail: 1 of 15 granite paving units for Rochester Riverside with inlaid and sandblasted details. Image: Christopher Tipping
Detail: 1 of 15 granite paving units in production at Hardscape for Rochester Riverside – with inlaid and sandblasted details. Image: Hardscape
Detail: 1 of 15 granite paving units in production at Hardscape for Rochester Riverside – with inlaid and sandblasted details. Image: Hardscape
Detail: 1 of 15 granite paving units in production at Hardscape for Rochester Riverside – with inlaid and sandblasted details. Image: Hardscape
Detail: 1 of 15 granite paving units in production at Hardscape for Rochester Riverside – with inlaid and sandblasted details. Image: Hardscape
Detail: 1 of 15 granite paving units in production at Hardscape for Rochester Riverside – with inlaid and sandblasted details. Image: Hardscape
Detail: 1 of 15 granite paving units for Rochester Riverside with inlaid and sandblasted details. Image: Christopher Tipping
Detail: 1 of 15 granite paving units for Rochester Riverside with inlaid and sandblasted details. Image: Christopher Tipping
Detail: 1 of 15 granite paving units for Rochester Riverside with inlaid and sandblasted details. Image: Christopher Tipping
Detail: Water jet cutting paths for 1 of 15 granite paving units for Rochester Riverside with inlaid and sandblasted details. Image: Christopher Tipping
Detail: Water jet cutting paths for 1 of 15 granite paving units for Rochester Riverside with inlaid and sandblasted details. Image: Christopher Tipping
Detail: Water jet cutting paths cleaned up for 1 of 15 granite paving units for Rochester Riverside with inlaid and sandblasted details. Image: Christopher Tipping

Rochester Riverside in production – HARGREAVES FOUNDRY

In August all was ready for the casting of the iron units and off I eagerly trotted on the train up to Hargreaves Foundry in Halifax to be present during a famous ‘Casting Thursday’! – I have been up to Hargreaves only once before and Andrew Knight, Foundry & Patternshop Manager showed me around the factory at that time. Even though this was impressive, (& it is !) it couldn’t match being present to witness my own work being cast. It is such a physical, visceral process, fully hands on and dangerous with it. The skill & craft is astonishing and it is this legacy of making, which Hargreaves has in bucketfuls, that I wanted to design into the public art work for Rochester.

Rochester Riverside. Hargreaves Foundry. Image: Christopher Tipping
Artwork for Units 1 – 5 for cast iron production at Hargreaves Foundry in Halifax. Some units were cast twice. Image: Christopher Tipping
Original tooled pattern by Arthur Jackson after casting at Hargreaves. Image: Christopher Tipping
Details of EASM 3D files used by Solidworks for cnc tooled pattern manufacture at Arthur Jackson & Co Ltd, Halifax. Image: Arthur Jackson
Details of EASM 3D files used by Solidworks for cnc tooled pattern manufacture at Arthur Jackson & Co Ltd, Halifax. Image: Arthur Jackson
Elements of cnc tooling & pattern production at Arthur Jackson & Co Ltd in Halifax. Image: Christopher Tipping
Elements of cnc tooling & pattern production at Arthur Jackson & Co Ltd in Halifax. Image: Christopher Tipping
Elements of cnc tooling & pattern production at Arthur Jackson & Co Ltd in Halifax. Image: Christopher Tipping
Original tooled patterns by Arthur Jackson after use in casting at Hargreaves. Image: Christopher Tipping

Nine cast iron units have now been made, from 5 original cnc tooled patterns manufactured to my designs by Arthur Jackson & Co Ltd, Halifax. These patterns, cnc tooled from a type of resin block are used to prepare the resin sand mould boxes used in the final casting process. The cast units are then hand finished through grinding and polishing methods.

Elements of cast iron production at Hargreaves Foundry in Halifax. Image: Christopher Tipping
Elements of cast iron production at Hargreaves Foundry in Halifax. Image: Christopher Tipping

Individual one ton iron weights are used to secure the moulds during casting, such are the pressures of heat during the process. The moulds are constructed from a resin infused black sand, which has been compacted around the master pattern, which is then removed.

Elements of cast iron production at Hargreaves Foundry in Halifax. Image: Christopher Tipping
Elements of cast iron production at Hargreaves Foundry in Halifax. Image: Christopher Tipping

What I can’t convey here is the noise, heat, smell & excitement of this process during the critical stages of casting. The experience is vivid and visceral. I am watching something being made which could last for hundreds of years.

Elements of cast iron production at Hargreaves Foundry in Halifax. Image: Christopher Tipping
Elements of cast iron production at Hargreaves Foundry in Halifax. Image: Christopher Tipping
Elements of cast iron production at Hargreaves Foundry in Halifax. Image: Christopher Tipping
Elements of cast iron production at Hargreaves Foundry in Halifax. Image: Christopher Tipping
Elements of cast iron production at Hargreaves Foundry in Halifax. Image: Christopher Tipping
Elements of cast iron production at Hargreaves Foundry in Halifax. Image: Christopher Tipping
Elements of cast iron production at Hargreaves Foundry in Halifax. Image: Christopher Tipping
Elements of cast iron production at Hargreaves Foundry in Halifax. Image: Christopher Tipping

The units above and below have now been treated with Nitric Acid to prevent rusting through oxidation. The cast iron is almost black and the relief jumps out very cleanly.

Elements of cast iron production at Hargreaves Foundry in Halifax. Image: Christopher Tipping

WINCHESTER STATION APPROACH – PART 2 – June 2019

These sketches and studies below are part of a series of early drafts and drawings, which were completed in June this year. They were derived from contextual research and concept design development for the generation of the interpretive public art elements at Winchester Station. Several versions of this initial research have been submitted for discussion and comment.

Draft concept visuals for Winchester Station Approaches. Images: Christopher Tipping
Draft concept visuals for Winchester Station Approaches. Images: Christopher Tipping
Plan view of the Station approaches. Image: Christopher Tipping

These early drafts considered an ‘all-over’ repeating pattern for natural sandstone paving, influenced by the Cathedral’s extant 13th Century medieval inlaid ceramic floor tiles – and used here as a super-graphic motif. At this time I was not responding to any masterplan proposals from the client’s Architects and Urban Planners LDS – as these had not yet been circulated for discussion. The ideas were formulated in response to my own research in the city and now form the foundations of my project approach.

Concept drafts for repeat pattern paving influenced by the Cathedral Medieval Tiled floors. Image: Christopher Tipping
Concept drafts for repeat pattern paving influenced by the Cathedral Medieval Tiled floors & built environment. Image: Christopher Tipping
A page from my research document June 12th 2019. Image: Christopher Tipping

The building stones of Winchester are hugely influential when looking at the interpretation of place and the significance of the Station as a gateway to the City. Although granite has been used here, local sandstones and limestones with flint and brick dominate.

The low lying architectural scale and presentation of the Station buildings, warrant a softer frame with regard to paving. Sandstone fits this bill. Granite being perhaps too corporate and ubiquitous for this site.

A page from my research document June 12th 2019. Image: Christopher Tipping









A page from my research document June 12th 2019. Image: Christopher Tipping









A page from my research document June 12th 2019. Image: Christopher Tipping
A page from my research document June 12th 2019. Image: Christopher Tipping
A page from my research document June 12th 2019. Image: Christopher Tipping
A page from my research document June 12th 2019. Image: Christopher Tipping

The City has a strong tradition of procession and pilgrimage, which reinforces notions of way finding and direction, arrival and departure, as well as the physical experience of walking and the materials you are walking upon.

Official Opening – PART ONE

Architectural Glass Artwork in the Hydrotherapy Pool. RNHRD & Brownsword Therapies Centre, RUH, Bath. Image: Christopher Tipping
Architectural Glass Artwork in the Hydrotherapy Pool. RNHRD & Brownsword Therapies Centre, RUH, Bath. Image: Christopher Tipping


Tuesday 22nd October 2019 – Today was the Official Opening of the RNHRD & Brownsword Therapies Centre at the RUH, Bath. I was invited to attend the event and to be presented to HRH Duchess of Cornwall who gracefully performed the honours.

Formalities aside, it was a great day and I was very touched and proud to have been involved in the project . The weather was pretty glorious on the day – so the glazing appeared at its very best., reflecting perfectly off the pool surface and creating the most beautiful backdrop for the day’s events. Positive comments all round was a great sign that the project had been a collaborative & creative success. A massive thanks to Art at the Heart and especially to the efforts of Hetty Dupays, Art and Design Manager and her brilliant team.

We made the front page of the Bath Chronicle ! Left to Right – Suzanne Rastrick, Hetty Dupays, me, Gemma Pugh and HRH Duchess of Cornwall. Image: Artur Lesniak for the Bath Chronicle
Left to Right - Suzanne Rastrick, Hetty Dupays, me, HRH Duchess of Cornwall, Gemma Pugh. Image: RUH
Left to Right – Suzanne Rastrick, Hetty Dupays, me, HRH Duchess of Cornwall, Gemma Pugh. Image: RUH
Twitter feed from Art at the Heart of the RUH, represented the events of the day. Image: Art at the Heart, RUH
Twitter feed from Art at the Heart of the RUH, represented the events of the day. Image: Art at the Heart, RUH
…and here I am Photo-Bombing. Right to Left: Suzanne Rastrick, (me), Gina Sargeant & Gemma Pugh. Image: RUH
Detail: East Screen. Hydrotherapy Pool, RUH, Bath. Image: Christopher Tipping
Detail: Reflections of the East Screen in the Hydrotherapy Pool, RUH, Bath. Image: Christopher Tipping
East Glazing Screen, Hydrotherapy Pool, RUH, Bath. Image: Christopher Tipping
East Glazing Screen, Hydrotherapy Pool, RUH, Bath. Image: Christopher Tipping
North (Courtyard) Glazing Screen, Hydrotherapy Pool, RUH, Bath. Image: Christopher Tipping
North (Courtyard) Glazing Screen, Hydrotherapy Pool, RUH, Bath. Image: Christopher Tipping
North (Courtyard) Glazing Screen, Hydrotherapy Pool, RUH, Bath. Image: Christopher Tipping
North (Courtyard) Glazing Screen, Hydrotherapy Pool, RUH, Bath. Image: Christopher Tipping

Of course, none of this would have been possible without a brilliant and supportive project team, including manufacturers and creative collaborators Proto Glass Studios and Project Architects IBI Group, working under the guidance and partnership of Kier Construction and the RUH.

Detail: East Screen. Hydrotherapy Pool, RUH, Bath. Image: Christopher Tipping
Detail: East Screen. Hydrotherapy Pool, RUH, Bath. Image: Christopher Tipping
Detail: East Screen. Hydrotherapy Pool, RUH, Bath. Image: Christopher Tipping
Detail: East Screen. Hydrotherapy Pool, RUH, Bath. Image: Christopher Tipping
Detail: North (Courtyard)  Screen. Hydrotherapy Pool, RUH, Bath. Image: Christopher Tipping
Detail: North (Courtyard) Screen. Hydrotherapy Pool, RUH, Bath. Image: Christopher Tipping
Detail: North (Courtyard)  Screen. Hydrotherapy Pool, RUH, Bath. Image: Christopher Tipping
Detail: North (Courtyard) Screen. Hydrotherapy Pool, RUH, Bath. Image: Christopher Tipping
Detail: North (Courtyard)  Screen. Hydrotherapy Pool, RUH, Bath. Image: Christopher Tipping
Detail: North (Courtyard) Screen. Hydrotherapy Pool, RUH, Bath. Image: Christopher Tipping
Detail: North (Courtyard)  Screen. Hydrotherapy Pool, RUH, Bath. Image: Christopher Tipping
Detail: North (Courtyard) Screen. Hydrotherapy Pool, RUH, Bath. Image: Christopher Tipping
Detail: North (Courtyard)  Screen. Hydrotherapy Pool, RUH, Bath. Image: Christopher Tipping
Detail: North (Courtyard) Screen. Hydrotherapy Pool, RUH, Bath. Image: Christopher Tipping

WINCHESTER STATION APPROACH – PART 1 – EARLY DAYS

Early beginnings…outlines…some thoughts and notes –

Medieval Tiles Pavement in Winchester Cathedral. Image: Christopher Tipping
Medieval Inlaid Tile Pavement in Winchester Cathedral. Image: Christopher Tipping

Actually, this short concept development project was commissioned in May 2019 by Winchester City Council . The brief called for creative & contextual research with which to frame a ‘concept-led’ draft scope for the inclusion of public art & interpretation within the Winchester Station Approaches project. The client’s Architectural & Urban Planning consultants LDS Architects have developed a Masterplan Framework & Public Realm for the Station Approach site, which has since been made public & my work may eventually be embedded into this scheme or influence the final detailed design for the public realm.

As a creative research-led project I have set out to celebrate the City of Winchester’s rich cultural history by examining its use of specific materials, decoration & craft skills within its architectural legacy and built landscape, with a particular emphasis on Winchester Cathedral, one of the largest Cathedrals in Europe.

The Station is the Gateway to the City, once the Anglo Saxon capital under Alfred the Great. As a Gateway the Station and its surrounding external environment should be above all else welcoming. The public realm is required to deliver this. It can also give visual expression, via its landscape, materials and detail to what may be discovered by visitors moving beyond the Station. The Cathedral, for example cannot be seen when arriving by train, when, by contrast the Cathedrals of both Bath and Durham present their magnificent architecture from afar.

This is still early days in research and concept development. No doubt this project will shape-shift considerably along the way.

Winchester Station booking hall. Image: Christopher Tipping
Arriving into the booking hall at Winchester Station. Image: Christopher Tipping
Winchester Station. Image: Christopher Tipping
Winchester Station. Image: Christopher Tipping
The view down Station Hill from outside the Station. Image: Christopher Tipping
The view down Station Hill from outside the Station. Image: Christopher Tipping

People come from around the world to visit Winchester.

5 million arrivals and departures recorded in 2018 –

What should this Gateway communicate about Winchester?

The Cathedral ?

The Cathedral was founded in 1079 – it is an astonishing 940 years old  & we can still walk around it in the footsteps of countless others. The whole building was completed in the form we see & experience today in the 16th Century. The spectacular Nave in Perpendicular Gothic with Lierne Vaulting was completed in the 14th & 15th Centuries. The carved oak Quire Stalls were created between 1306 and 1309. We know who carved them & we know who repaired them.  

The magnificent Lierne Vaulting in the Cathedral was constructed between the 14th & 15th Centuries. Image: Christopher Tipping
Magnificent Lierne Vaulting in the Cathedral was constructed between the 14th & 15th Centuries. Image: Christopher Tipping

‘In the Christian Medieval world, this ‘arrival’ was rewarded through the sheer brilliance & breath-taking fusion of art & architecture as seen in the form of the Cathedral. This building was clearly at the heart of Winchester and England. It was the house of God and widely interpreted as the gate of Heaven, a world-renowned centre of pilgrimage, education & religious life’.

CONCEPT: to explore some the materials that built Winchester and, in doing so, reinforce their importance and role in communicating the cultural significance of the city. Rare & bespoke materials and craft can reflect this. These materials connect us to the past, the present & the future. 

  1. Manufacturing and contemporary methods – crafts fused with the latest technology.
  2. Reflect the ingenuity and importance of the craftsmen & master masons of the age of Cathedrals. Illuminated Manuscript Illustrators and Master Masons were itinerant specialists – often travelling continually between great building projects.  
  3. I am also influenced by the on-going work to maintain and secure historical structures. Cathedral Masons repair and replace stonework. Over time, this must lead to substantial renewal. This concept of gradual change and renewal is of great interest.

STATION FORECOURT

For Example: Solid or monolithic blocks used as primary public art sculptural artwork benches within the current forecourt plan submitted by LDS Architects – with secondary barrier benches in another repeating style.

OPTIONS: creative thinking out loud ! Materials could include…

OAK – inspired by the massive oak timbers in the cathedral roof & bell tower and the brilliance of the carving in the Quire Stalls.

Massive Oak beams inside the roof of Winchester Cathedral. Image: Christopher Tipping
Huge Oak beams support the roof of the Cathedral. Image: Christopher Tipping
Carved Falconer detail from the Quire in Winchester Cathedral. Image: Dr John Crook
Carved Falconer detail from the Quire in Winchester Cathedral. Image: Dr John Crook

TOURNAI MARBLE – The beautiful 12th Century font – see below – sculpted from a single massive block of blue black carboniferous limestone, known as “Tournai marble“, was quarried from the banks of the River Scheldt’ & brought from Tournai in modern day Belgium. These were extremely rare and highly prized medieval luxury items. The natural stone is 135 million years old.

The 12th Century Font is made from a single block of black Tournai Marble from Belgium. Image: Christopher Tipping
The 12th Century Font is made from a single block of black Tournai Marble from Belgium. Image: Christopher Tipping

Bench Three: SWEDISH MARBLE – see below – this was considered an exotic imports from the Baltic states & illustrates the connectedness of Winchester to other places through trade and pilgrimage.  This ledger stone is for Francisca Clobery, the daughter of Sir John Clobery. She died in 1683 and her grave is in the south aisle of the Retrochoir, in front of her father’s monument. Sir John was a 17th Century Merchant with connections to Europe.

Alfred the Great twice went on pilgrimage to Rome, the first time as a young boy in 853AD. I can’t but wonder if he had seen the Pantheon & the astonishing interiors of marble clad walls and polished patterned floors?

The memorial stone for of the daughter of Sir John Clobery in Winchester Cathedral is made from imported Swedish Marble. Image: Christopher Tipping
The memorial stone for of the daughter of Sir John Clobery is made from imported Swedish Marble. Image: Christopher Tipping

GLASS – The huge medieval stained glass West Window was smashed by Cromwell’s forces in 1642, but the fragmented remnants were gathered together and the window eventually restored maintaining the fragmented style.

The great West Window of Winchester Cathedral. Image: Christopher Tipping
The great West Window of Winchester Cathedral. Image: Christopher Tipping

CAST IRONGUN METAL – Jewell & Son, City Foundry, between Middle and Lower Brook Street in Winchester was owned by the Jewell family and made components for the GWR Railways Winchester to Newbury Line. It was one of several iron foundries in the city. The coming of the railway and the ensuing Victorian Industrial Revolution brought massive change and population growth to the city. On each of the bells of the Cathedral it is recorded that it was ‘Recast by John Taylor and Co., Loughborough, 1937’. John

One of the peal of Bells in Winchester Cathedral recast in 1937 by John Taylor & Co. Loughborough. Image: Christopher Tipping
One of the peal of Bells in Winchester Cathedral recast in 1937 by John Taylor & Co. Loughborough. Image: Christopher Tipping

TERRAZZO – a fusion of fragmented materials with the

ARCHITECTURAL CERAMIC – Much of Winchester is built of brick and tile, with clay locally sourced and manufactured & fired often close to the site. The Cathedral has an extant 13th Century pavement of inlaid ceramic including many beautifully reproduced in the 1960’s.

GRANITE – Granite is not a historic building material in Winchester, nonetheless it does appear in various forms within the city centre. however, For example, the plinth for for the statue of Alfred on the Broadway (1901) is made of granite. Brought by rail from Penryn in Cornwall , at the time they were the largest blocks of granite ever moved – and processioned by steam tractor through the streets of Winchester – at the height of the second Industrial Revolution and Victorian pomp.

FLINT – a quintessential Winchester material.

SANDSTONE

LIMESTONE

These materials could be treated in the following ways:

Materials could be cut, laminated and re-cut to present a geological and decorative expression – using the latest manufacturing technology. Surfaces can be inlaid, laser etched, sandblasted or textured to provide variety and narrative. Objects can be cast, moulded or carved.

Lines & intersections within the general forecourt paving scheme suggest way-finding & direction but are also resonant of the magnificent Cathedral Lierne Vaulting, a high point in Gothic Architecture & engineering skill – the crossing and interweaving of stone vaulting providing the myriad crossing points and junctions for decorated bosses.  Within the Station forecourt and approaches, these paving lines will intersect, at which point more focussed detail could be embedded in the form of robust but beautifully finished granite or cast iron units. These lines extend outwards from the Station Forecourt up Station Road and down Station Hill. I would propose to extend interventions and interpretive artwork in this direction to encourage the preferred pedestrian routes.

Pattern & Decoration seen throughout Winchester and fused into an astonishingly beautiful form in the Cathedral reflects the local & natural world of flora and fauna, alongside the non-secular world of Christianity and faith. I am inspired by the brilliance of illustrated manuscripts, such as the Winchester Bible & Botanical Manuscripts held in the Cathedral Library and Archive. Fragmented details of these motifs could be used to animate the forecourt and Gateway, but also to give clues to visitors and locals alike as to what may be found within the City.

Secondary Barrier features nearest to the highway could all be in the same material – granite or sandstone. Reinforced concrete base structure could be stone clad or be used as an immoveable base / foundation.

The fusing of architectural styles, which in turn create a legible & experiential timeline over hundreds of years in the Cathedral is an on-going inspiration.

Intersections

Meetings

Crossroads

Carfax

Quadrifurcus

Conduited Water flowing under the City

Streams and Rivers and Water Meadows – Mill Ponds

Quietly Communicate this concept – Beauty, architectural and cultural heritage, technology, creativity found in the City of Winchester using a palette of resonant and contextually intriguing materials, textures and narrative (tell good stories!) –

I am also researching the following:

Sussex Brewery & Reservoirs on the Carfax Site –

Local business and inhabitants of Station Hill, Station Road and Gresham Street –

Durngate Mill – A 700 years old Water Mill demolished in 1966 with massive oak timbers and cast iron machinery made locally –

Winchester City Mill

Craft Guild processions held on Corpus Christi by the Catholic Church – 

P.C. Jewell, City Iron Foundry, Winchester –

William Walker – Deep Water Diver & Cathedral Saviour

Site specific and local details can reflect smaller influences – the lives and livelihoods of local people and what they did etc. It is important to acknowledge the whole community its diversity.

I am creating options for paving, seating, edges, retaining structures and kerbs – this keeps sightlines clear and reduces clutter in the landscape.

‘Purbeck marble was extensively used for grave markers and grave stones (ledger stones). Later, large black ledger stones of Tournai marble were very much in fashion. Of particular interest is the ledger stone of Francisca Cloberij (sic), the daughter of Sir John Clobery. She died in 1683 and her grave is in the south aisle of the Retrochoir, in front of her father’s monument. It is of a distinctive Ordovician limestone (around 465 million years ago) from the Island of Öland, Sweden, containing the straight-shelled Nautiloid, Orthoceras’. It is something of an anomaly, but intriguing nonetheless.

I have made several visits to Winchester to consult with specialists, with particular relevance to the Cathedral. I have walked the streets, and routes into the City and experienced the crossing points and have undertaken my own creative site analysis. I have ongoing research threads with the City and with a number of specialist materials suppliers and manufacturers. I have consulted with the Hampshire Archive Services and the Winchester City Trust.

I have meetings arranged with the Cathedral Archivist and Librarian and also with the Cathedral Stonemasons. If possible, I would like to collaborate with the Stone Mason in the production of one of the benches.

Robert White Cancer Centre, Radiotherapy Unit

I have been dropping the artwork into the glazing frames to look at balance, proportion, scale & colour.

Inspired by Jurassic plant fossils, drafts & designs for discussion & comment by the project team & NHS Trusts are coming together in the studio. If successful these will be digitally printed onto glazing vinyl for the Radiotherapy Unit on the ground floor of the Robert White Cancer Centre based at Dorset County Hospital. These services are delivered by Poole Hospital as part of the wider county wide Cancer Services. The project is a collaboration between various agencies including Arts in Hospital & Poole Hospital Charity.

These artworks are presented as long elevations of ground to ceiling windows, but in reality they are a series of interlinked screens at angles to one another. For example, the External Lobby Entrance Screen will be seen through the Clothed Waiting Room Screen.

Draft Artwork for the Staff Meeting Room in the Radiotherapy Unit of the Robert White Cancer Centre, Dorchester. Artwork & Image: Christopher Tipping
An image of the Staff Meeting Room in the Radiotherapy Unit of the Robert White Cancer Centre, Dorchester. Artwork & Image: Christopher Tipping

Above & Below: These are the interior views of glazed screens as they are at the moment. The Staff Meeting Room is overlooked by an unappealing brick wall & stepped access to a public footpath, which is at a higher level creating privacy issues. In the artwork designs, all areas in white will be either transparent glazing or opaque printed vinyl, allowing in light, but not views by the public. The Clothed Waiting Room and Reception area glass screens look out onto the ground floor external paved concourse linking this building to the Main Hospital and adjacent Canteen. The artwork screens will provide much needed privacy from the ground floor pedestrian areas outside and hopefully some peaceful distraction for patients coming regularly into the Radiotherapy unit.

Draft Artwork for the Clothed Waiting Room & Reception in the Radiotherapy Unit of the Robert White Cancer Centre, Dorchester. Artwork & Image: Christopher Tipping
Floor Plan for the ground floor Radiotherapy Unit of the Robert White Cancer Centre, Dorchester. Artwork & Image: Christopher Tipping

Samples of the designs will be digitally printed at full scale and installed in the Radiotherapy Unit for further comment and confirmation that the outcome is what is desired by staff and patients.

Detail: Draft Artwork for the Clothed Waiting Room & Reception in the Radiotherapy Unit of the Robert White Cancer Centre, Dorchester. Artwork & Image: Christopher Tipping
Draft Artwork for the External Lobby Entrance to the Clothed Waiting Room & Reception in the Radiotherapy Unit of the Robert White Cancer Centre, Dorchester. Artwork & Image: Christopher Tipping
View of the External Lobby Entrance Screen from within the Clothed Waiting Room of the Radiotherapy Unit of the Robert White Cancer Centre, Dorchester. Artwork & Image: Christopher Tipping
Draft mock-up of window in 134. Entrance Lobby in the Radiotherapy Unit of the Robert White Cancer Centre, Dorchester. Artwork & Image: Christopher Tipping
Draft designs for windows in a series of rooms in the Radiotherapy Unit of the Robert White Cancer Centre, Dorchester. Artwork & Image: Christopher Tipping

Above: These five rooms are linked via a corridor. I have shown them as a single open space – but in reality, each is a separate private clinic room or office.

Draft designs for windows in a series of rooms in the Radiotherapy Unit of the Robert White Cancer Centre, Dorchester. Artwork & Image: Christopher Tipping
Detail: Draft design for the Gowned Waiting room in the Radiotherapy Unit of the Robert White Cancer Centre, Dorchester. Artwork & Image: Christopher Tipping
Draft designs for windows in Clinic Rooms 1 & 2 in the Radiotherapy Unit of the Robert White Cancer Centre, Dorchester. Artwork & Image: Christopher Tipping
Draft designs for windows in Technical Support & Admin Office in the Radiotherapy Unit of the Robert White Cancer Centre, Dorchester. Artwork & Image: Christopher Tipping
Draft mock-up of window in 015. Technical Support Office in the Radiotherapy Unit of the Robert White Cancer Centre, Dorchester. Artwork & Image: Christopher Tipping
Draft mock-up of window in 009. Gowned Waiting Room in the Radiotherapy Unit of the Robert White Cancer Centre, Dorchester. Artwork & Image: Christopher Tipping

Pan troglodytes, Pongo pygmaeus, and Gorilla gorilla

 

Pan troglodytes, Pongo pygmaeus and Gorilla gorilla 

 

Chimpanzees at the beach Rescue Centre & Cafe, Ramsgate Main Sands. Animal Thanet 2019. Image: Christopher Tipping

 

Chimpanzees at the beach Rescue Centre & Cafe, Ramsgate Main Sands. Animal Thanet 2019. Image: Christopher Tipping

 

Chimpanzees at the beach Rescue Centre & Cafe, Ramsgate Main Sands. Animal Thanet 2019. Image: Christopher Tipping

 

Chimpanzees at the beach Rescue Centre & Cafe, Ramsgate Main Sands. Animal Thanet 2019. Image: Christopher Tipping

 

Orangutan, George Street, Ramsgate. Animal Thanet 2019. Image: Christopher Tipping

 

Orangutan, George Street, Ramsgate. Animal Thanet 2019. Image: Christopher Tipping

 

Chimpanzees on George Street, Ramsgate. Animal Thanet 2019. Image: Christopher Tipping

 

Chimpanzees on George Street, Ramsgate. Animal Thanet 2019. Image: Christopher Tipping

 

Silverback Gorilla on George Street, Ramsgate. Animal Thanet 2019. Image: Christopher Tipping

 

Silverback Gorilla on George Street, Ramsgate. Animal Thanet 2019. Image: Christopher Tipping

 

Robert White Centre – Radiotherapy Unit

Drafts and sketches for the digitally printed glazing vinyl artwork for the ground floor Radiotherapy Unit of the Robert White Cancer Centre are now in progress in the studio. At this stage, the drafts are for comment and discussion and the final design work will be tailored in response to this process.

Draft Artwork for the Radiotherapy Unit of the Robert White Cancer Centre, Dorchester. Image: Christopher Tipping

 

Inspired by Jurassic plant fossils, such as Cycads, Tree Ferns, Magnolias, Monkey Puzzle and Gingko, the ideas are developing by way of a distinct colour palette and abstract pattern-making too, as well as looking to incorporate and blend in with the glazing artworks of the Outpatient Unit on the first floor, which were completed late in December 2018. Although the two floors deliver independent services via Poole Hospital and Dorset County Hospitals, it is important that from the outside particularly, the artwork links the two floors and presents a united front elevation to all those visiting & working on this site. The Jurassic Coast and the Abbotsbury Sub-Tropical Gardens, have both been influential. The coastal geology has been a particular fascination, with stones and fossils being very much the theme of the first floor Outpatients department.

 

Site images and plans for the ground floor Radiotherapy Unit of the Robert White Cancer Centre, Dorchester. Image: Christopher Tipping

 

Draft Artwork for the Radiotherapy Unit of the Robert White Cancer Centre, Dorchester. Image: Christopher Tipping

 

Draft Artwork for the Radiotherapy Unit of the Robert White Cancer Centre, Dorchester. Artwork & Image: Christopher Tipping

 

Draft Artwork for the Radiotherapy Unit of the Robert White Cancer Centre, Dorchester. Image: Christopher Tipping

 

Draft Artwork Sketchbook for the Radiotherapy Unit of the Robert White Cancer Centre, Dorchester. Artwork & Image: Christopher Tipping

 

Draft Artwork for the Radiotherapy Unit of the Robert White Cancer Centre, Dorchester. Image: Christopher Tipping

 

Draft Artwork for the Radiotherapy Unit of the Robert White Cancer Centre, Dorchester. Image: Christopher Tipping

 

Draft Artwork Sketchbook for the Radiotherapy Unit of the Robert White Cancer Centre, Dorchester. Artwork & Image: Christopher Tipping

 

Draft Artwork for the Radiotherapy Unit of the Robert White Cancer Centre, Dorchester. Image: Christopher Tipping

 

Draft Artwork for the Radiotherapy Unit of the Robert White Cancer Centre, Dorchester. Image: Christopher Tipping

 

Draft Artwork for the Radiotherapy Unit of the Robert White Cancer Centre, Dorchester. Image: Christopher Tipping

 

Draft Artwork for the Radiotherapy Unit of the Robert White Cancer Centre, Dorchester. Artwork & Image: Christopher Tipping

 

Draft Artwork for the Radiotherapy Unit of the Robert White Cancer Centre, Dorchester. Artwork & Image: Christopher Tipping

 

Draft Artwork for the Radiotherapy Unit of the Robert White Cancer Centre, Dorchester. Artwork & Image: Christopher Tipping

 

Draft Artwork for the Radiotherapy Unit of the Robert White Cancer Centre, Dorchester. Artwork & Image: Christopher Tipping

 

Draft Artwork for the Radiotherapy Unit of the Robert White Cancer Centre, Dorchester. Artwork & Image: Christopher Tipping

 

Draft Artwork for the Radiotherapy Unit of the Robert White Cancer Centre, Dorchester. Artwork & Image: Christopher Tipping

 

 

 

Royal College of Art – Terrazzo Floor

‘Celebrating Pattern in London’s Architecture’.

‘Frieze collaborates with Tate Britain, the National Gallery, RCA, Sketch Gallery and ICA on the 2017 marketing campaign. From contemporary concepts to Renaissance painting, we have worked with important cultural institutions to create the campaigns for Frieze London and Frieze Masters 2017. Showcasing striking design and beautiful floors around London. Photography by Luke Hayes with Art Direction by Amy Preston’. Frieze London 2017.

Royal College of Art, Terrazzo & Marble floor installed 1987. Artist: Christopher Tipping. Image: Luke Hayes 2017

 

I was delighted to see my work featured in the Frieze London 2017 Marketing Campaign. My in-situ polychrome terrazzo and cut marble floor was quietly celebrating it’s 30th Anniversary in 2017, since it was commissioned by the RCA for the main entrance and reception of the new Darwin Building in 1987. The work was manufactured and installed by Diespeker & Co. I worked closely throughout in collaboration with Diespeker’s and the RCA. As stated – I was surprised and delighted to see it featured again in this way.

I recently made contact with the Photographer Luke Hayes to enquire about any other images he may have of the work, which didn’t make the original campaign. He has generously allowed me access to these images, which I reproduce here with his kind permission. I have very few images myself – and no digital images – and appear to have very little by way of documentation. I graduated from the RCA in 1985 and I think I was commissioned whilst I was still a post-grad student in Ceramics. This makes some sense, as the design for the floor was very much an extension of the work I was doing in ceramics, which was focussed on Architectural form and decoration. I was pretty amazed to see it was still in such good condition. Terrazzo is an amazing material and I have used it-  rather sporadically I admit – throughout my career and had the pleasure of working alongside some amazing craftspeople at Diespeker’s and Pallam Precast,  now part of Quality Marble.

 

Royal College of Art 1987. Darwin Building. Jay Mews Entrance. Terrazzo Floor. Artist: Christopher Tipping. Image: Unknown

 

Above: From what I can recall, this  (poor quality) image was taken just after the final grinding & completion of the floor by Diespeker’s. It hadn’t been cleaned or polished and was very dusty – just like me in the image.

 

Royal College of Art, London. Detail: Terrazzo & Marble floor installed 1987. Artist: Christopher Tipping. Image: Luke Hayes 2017

 

Royal College of Art, London. Detail: Terrazzo & Marble floor installed 1987. Artist: Christopher Tipping. Image: Luke Hayes 2017

 

Royal College of Art, London. Detail: Terrazzo & Marble floor installed 1987. Artist: Christopher Tipping. Image: Luke Hayes 2017 (Cropped Image 2019)

 

Royal College of Art, London. Detail: Terrazzo & Marble floor installed 1987. Artist: Christopher Tipping. Image: Luke Hayes 2017

 

Royal College of Art, London. Detail: Terrazzo & Marble floor installed 1987. Artist: Christopher Tipping. Image: Luke Hayes 2017

 

Royal College of Art, London. Detail: Terrazzo & Marble floor installed 1987. Artist: Christopher Tipping. Image: Luke Hayes 2017 (Cropped Image 2019)

 

Royal College of Art, London. Detail: Terrazzo & Marble floor installed 1987. Artist: Christopher Tipping. Image: Luke Hayes 2017

 

Royal College of Art, London. Detail: Terrazzo & Marble floor installed 1987. Artist: Christopher Tipping. Image: Luke Hayes 2017

 

Between 1985 / 87 during the delivery of this project, I had no access to digital processes or computers – although they had recently started to appear at the RCA. The original artwork was hand drawn and painted in gouache. Templates for the timber formwork were first drawn up full scale and processed in the RCA’s timber workshops on Jay Mews. I suppose what it did, was reinforce the hand made and craft process associated with the manufacture of the work. I do remember sanding off the tip of one of my fingers in the workshop. I had so little money in those post student days, that I also recall walking all the way from Terrazzo manufacturer Diespeker’s old premises at Diespeker Wharf Wharf, Islington, back to my old studio at Loughborough Junction on Coldharbour Lane, South London, carrying a pile of terrazzo samples.

 

Below: Really interesting to work briefly with Luke’s images to re-imagine some new designs for the same floor. Digital processes we have instantly available in minutes today would have taken me days to produce similar painted patterns in 1987.

 

RCA Re-imagined artwork for terrazzo & marble floor 2019 from original image by Photographer: Luke Hayes 2017

 

RCA Re-imagined artwork for terrazzo & marble floor 2019 from original image by Photographer: Luke Hayes 2017

 

RCA Re-imagined artwork for terrazzo & marble floor 2019 from original image by Photographer: Luke Hayes 2017

 

RCA Re-imagined artwork for terrazzo & marble floor 2019 from original image by Photographer: Luke Hayes 2017

 

RCA Re-imagined artwork for terrazzo & marble floor 2019 from original image by Photographer: Luke Hayes 2017

 

 

 

 

 

Tipping’s Tiny Zoo, Jacob’s Ladder, Ramsgate.

Red Deer on Jacob’s Ladder, Military Road, Ramsgate. Animal Thanet 2019

 

Red Deer on Jacob’s Ladder, Military Road, Ramsgate. Animal Thanet 2019. Image: Christopher Tipping

Jacob’s Ladder is a Grade II Listed flight of stone steps. Built in 1826 by John Shaw.  Dog-leg stairs with three flights of steps faced with ashlar and built between flanking towers with rounded fronts of ashlar, each flight of steps with wide central pilaster; centre landings. Iron balustrade. The present stair replaces an earlier wooden flight of c.1750, 100 yards to the east’. Historic England.

Red Deer, Cervus elaphus with local flora.

 

Red Deer on Jacob’s Ladder, Military Road, Ramsgate. Animal Thanet 2019. Image: Christopher Tipping

 

Red Deer on Jacob’s Ladder, Military Road, Ramsgate. Animal Thanet 2019. Image: Christopher Tipping

 

Red Deer on Jacob’s Ladder, Military Road, Ramsgate. Animal Thanet 2019. Image: Christopher Tipping

 

Small Antelope on Jacob’s Ladder, Military Road, Ramsgate. Animal Thanet 2019. Image: Christopher Tipping

 

Red Deer with small Antelope on Jacob’s Ladder, Military Road, Ramsgate. Animal Thanet 2019. Image: Christopher Tipping