WAKEFIELD.- The enclosure at
Yorkshire Sculpture Park for Roger Hiorns' Seizure, 2008/2013, designed by Adam Khan Architects, has won a RIBA Yorkshire Award from the Royal Institute of British Architects, in recognition of its architectural excellence.
Seizure was created using 75,000 litres of liquid copper sulphate, which was pumped into a former council flat in Southwark, London to create a strangely beautiful and somewhat menacing crystalline growth on the walls, floor, ceiling and bath of the abandoned dwelling.
Seizure started life in 2008 when Roger Hiorns was commissioned by Artangel and the Jerwood Charitable Foundation. Faced with the demolition of the social housing block in early 2011, the piece was acquired by the Arts Council Collection, thanks to a gift by the artist, Artangel and the Jerwood Charitable Foundation through the Art Fund, with the support of The Henry Moore Foundation.
The work, weighing over 31 tonnes, was successfully extracted from the property, following meticulous planning which saw one wall of the flat removed before the whole structure was pulled out of the building using hydraulic jacks and craned onto the back of a low loader. Seizure was subsequently transported to YSP, where it is now presented within a new concrete structure designed by Adam Khan Architects. The installation opened to the public at YSP in 2013.
Jill Constantine, Acting Head of Arts Council Collection, said, We are delighted that Adam Khan Architects have been awarded a RIBA Yorkshire Award for their enclosure for Roger Hiorns Seizure and congratulate them on this wonderful achievement. The Arts Council Collection, managed by Southbank Centre, celebrated a 10-year relationship with Yorkshire Sculpture Park when Seizure was installed there in 2013. This award is another way to mark the great undertaking by artist and architect to move this work from London to Yorkshire; from city to parkland, and celebrates the special structure which has been created by Adam Khan Architects for Seizure in this new phase of its existence.
RIBA's Regional Awards for buildings in Yorkshire celebrate design excellence in architecture and the built environment in the Yorkshire and Humber region. Award winners will now be considered for a RIBA National Award, which will be announced in June 2014.