Within the realm of contemporary sculpture, Richard Wilson’s technically wondrous creations force us to rethink our ideas of space, perspective, material and structure. Which is why Heathrow Airport needed little coaxing when it came to choosing the British-born artist to create an installation for the soon-to-be renovated Terminal 2.
Sporting a dramatic wave-like roof, the shiny new terminal – which is due to open in 2014 - is swiftly taking shape under the direction of Foster + Partners, in collaboration with Luis Vidal and HETCo. The new space will feature a central light-filled courtyard (similar in size to the Tate Modern’s Turbine Hall) in which Wilson’s oscillating structure, titled ‘Slipstream’, will be suspended 20m above the ground.
‘This work is a metaphor for travel,’ says Wilson of the design. ‘It is a journey from A to B, where sensations of velocity, acceleration and de-acceleration follow us at every undulation.’
Inspired by photographer Eadweard Muybridge, whose series ‘Human figure in Motion’ captured moving moments, Wilson’s mission was to create a sculpture that did just that. ‘If you set your lens at one-thousandth of a second, you can capture that wonderful moment in time,’ explains Wilson.
Using the somersaulting, spiralling and twisting motions of a small stunt plane in flight, Wilson started off with a series of sketches and then enlisted the help of structural engineers Price & Myers as well as specialist fabricators Commercial Systems International (CSI), who used aeronautical computer technology to translate his concept into a three-dimensional reality.
Measuring over 70 metres long and weighing in at 77 tonnes, the larger-than-life creation will be formed by a wooden skeleton covered in plywood, while the external layer will be fashioned out of semi-polished aluminium. ‘A very elegant sculpture, with a streamlined, undulating surface that reflects the light in all sorts of ways,’ says Wilson of his creation. 'The riveted aluminium surface will highlight the contours of the piece.’
Wilson’s sculptures never cease to inspire and provoke, and ‘Slipstream’ is bound to be a visual delight, reminding us that the boundaries as we know them are only the beginning.
Sporting a dramatic wave-like roof, the shiny new terminal – which is due to open in 2014 - is swiftly taking shape under the design work of Foster Partners, in collaboration with Luis Vidal and HETCo
The new space will feature a central light-filled courtyard (similar in size to the Tate Modern’s Turbine Hall) in which Wilson’s oscillating structure, titled ‘Slipstream’, will be suspended 20m above the ground
Inspired by photographer Eadweard Muybridge, whose series ‘Human figure in Motion’, captured moving moments, Wilson’s mission was to create a sculpture that did just that
Using the somersaulting, spiralling and twisting motions of a small stunt plane in flight, Wilson started off with a series of sketches
One of Wilson's original sketches depicting a plane in motion
He then enlisted the help of structural engineers Price & Myers as well as specialist fabricators Commercial Systems International (CSI) who used aeronautical computer technology to translate his concept into a three dimensional reality
The three dimensional stage after the sketches, showing the mathematical process used to create the final models and renderings
The final solid model, created to the same scale used in aeroplane designs
A view of the solid model from underneath
The final rendering showing the plane's movement, depicting its undulations, twistings and spirallings and eventually, the beginning of the sculpture. 'Once out the other side, imagine the vast void left by the plane’s path is filled with fast-setting plaster, therefore making the void the solid,' explains Wilson
-
Sculptor Woody De Othello paints a Miami museum red for a show that ‘almost hugs you’The Miami-born, California-based artist opens his first museum exhibition in his hometown as an experiential journey through life and lifeless objects
-
Alpine A390 GT: French, fast and fun. A sporting EV with a real sense of occasionAlpine doubles down on its fast electric credentials with the A390 GT, the French performance brand’s largest car to date
-
Forget smart homes, Doma's 'intelligent' doors open at the sight of a familiar faceYves Béhar and Jason Johnson have founded Doma, a tech start-up dedicated to seamlessly integrating tech into your daily life
-
How to elevate a rental with minimal interventions? Charu Gandhi has nailed it with her London homeFocus on key spaces, work with inherited details, and go big on colour and texture, says Gandhi, an interior designer set on beautifying her tired rental
-
The Stuff That Surrounds You: Inside the home of designer Michael AnastassiadesIn The Stuff That Surrounds You, Wallpaper* explores a life through objects. In this episode, we step inside one of the most considered homes we've ever seen, where Anastassiades test drives his own creations
-
Francis Sultana and Roberto Ruspoli’s Greco-Roman-inspired furniture feels fresh and contemporaryA new collection, launching at David Gill Gallery in London, presents furniture and decorative pieces inspired by Mediterranean villas, French art and Etruscan engraving
-
The new office of the Italian embassy in London is a love letter to the country’s creativityWallpaper* takes a peek inside Casa Italia, the new Italian embassy in London, designed by our long-time collaborator Nick Vinson
-
Sophie Smallhorn’s plywood tables for Uncommon Projects are colourful and modularThese modular tables by the artist and the plywood specialist play with colour for function, fun and flexibility
-
American vision meets British craft in Billy Cotton’s new collaboration with Soane BritainYes, there’s rattan, but the lauded New York designer also brought in brass, oak and more. ‘There’s a sort of alchemy to these materials,’ he says
-
A new coffee table book proves that one designer’s trash is another’s treasureThe Rizzoli tome, launching today (16 September 2025), delves into the philosophy and process of Retrouvius, a design studio reclaiming salvaged materials in weird and wonderful ways
-
Welcome to Salt, a London hair salon-turned-immersive audio experienceStyling meets sound design at Salt’s second London outpost, a high-concept space by Unknown Works designed to be heard as much as seen
