Watch ∞ Blue (Infinity Blue) by Studio Swine in action at the Eden Project in Cornwall
In the heart of Cornwall at the Grimshaw Architects-designed Eden Project, the London-based multi-disciplinary creative duo Studio Swine – made up of Alexander Groves and Azusa Murakami – opens a new permanent installation on 25 May. ∞ Blue (Infinity Blue) is an 8.5m high ceramic sculpture containing 32 vortex cannons, programmed to exhale synchronised scented fog rings, inspired by the earth’s prehistoric atmosphere from five billion years ago to the modern age.
As part of a new permanent exhibition, ‘Invisible Worlds’, set within the Core educational building, the sculpture, which weighs in at 20 tonnes, is the result of the studio’s research into cyanobacteria, a photosynthetic bacteria identified as one of the first and smallest organisms on the planet to produce oxygen. The work becomes the living (and breathing) embodiment of that complex scientific thought.
‘We’re particularly interested in the typology of fountains, something we explored in our Cos installation New Spring at last year’s Salone del Mobile,’ says Murakami. ‘Especially how fountains celebrated the life-giving nature of water and the sculptural depiction of Roman gods and mythical sea creatures.’ Groves continues, ‘We were really interested in cyanobacteria, tiny ocean organisms that are invisible to the naked eye, but account for the largest biomass on our planet and creating 70 per cent of our earth’s atmosphere. Our piece Infinity Blue is a fountain for the atmosphere using fog instead of water to celebrate the air we breath.’
The steel-framed installation’s surface is clad in oxide glazed, deep blue clay ceramic tiles, its texture created from an algorithm inspired by reaction-diffusion systems found in creatures, such as zebras and coral. For the vapour rings, Paris-based fragrance and flavour specialist Givaudan has created a bespoke scent.
A signature component of a Studio Swine project is an accompanying film, which for this work has been co-directed by the studio and filmmaker Petr Krejčí. The film focuses on Murakami and Groves’ research in the sea close to the Cornish coast and will be released in June.
Scented fog rings erupt from Studio Swine’s sculpture.
INFORMATION
∞ Blue is commissioned by Future\Pace, a partnership between Pace Gallery and cultural placemaking agency Futurecity, which delivers multidisciplinary artistic projects in the urban landscape. For more information, visit the Eden Project website, the Studio Swine website and the Future\Pace website
ADDRESS
Eden Project
Bodelva
Par PL24 2SG
-
Collagerie and Zara Home debut perfectly imperfect furniture and accessoriesLucinda Chambers’ Collagerie collaborates with Zara Home on a collection that is an ode to the everyday
-
‘A beginning is a dialogue’: Simone Bellotti reveals a first glimpse of his vision for Jil Sander with an EP and music videoTitled ‘Wanderlust’, the music video and EP is a collaboration with Bochum Welt, signalling an esoteric start to Simone Bellotti’s tenure at the house before his runway debut later this year
-
Interni Venosta’s vases are made from laundry detergent bottlesBritt Moran and Emiliano Salci of Dimorestudio have conceived a series of expressive vases whose starting point is a humble plastic bottle
-
Rolf Sachs’ largest exhibition to date, ‘Be-rühren’, is a playful study of touchA collection of over 150 of Rolf Sachs’ works speaks to his preoccupation with transforming everyday objects to create art that is sensory – both emotionally and physically
-
Architect Erin Besler is reframing the American tradition of barn raisingAt Art Omi sculpture and architecture park, NY, Besler turns barn raising into an inclusive project that challenges conventional notions of architecture
-
A bespoke 40m mixed-media dragon is the centrepiece of Glastonbury’s new chill-out areaNew for 2025 is Dragon's Tail – a space to offer some calm within Glastonbury’s late-night area with artwork by Edgar Phillips at its heart
-
What is recycling good for, asks Mika Rottenberg at Hauser & Wirth MenorcaUS-based artist Mika Rottenberg rethinks the possibilities of rubbish in a colourful exhibition, spanning films, drawings and eerily anthropomorphic lamps
-
Lubaina Himid and Magda Stawarska’s new show at Kettle’s Yard will uncover the missing narratives in everyday life storiesThe artists and partners in life are collaborating on an immersive takeover of Kettle’s Yard, Cambridge, in an exhibition that delves into a lost literary legacy
-
San Francisco’s controversial monument, the Vaillancourt Fountain, could be facing demolitionThe brutalist fountain is conspicuously absent from renders showing a redeveloped Embarcadero Plaza and people are unhappy about it, including the structure’s 95-year-old designer
-
See the fruits of Niki de Saint Phalle and Jean Tinguely's creative and romantic union at Hauser & Wirth SomersetAn intimate exhibition at Hauser & Wirth Somerset explores three decades of a creative partnership
-
Caroline Walker's new show speaks to women everywhere, including me'Everything related to my life with young children, because it's such an all encompassing experience,' the artist says of her new show at the Hepworth Wakefield
