Marysas
Encyclopedia
Marsyas is a 150 meter-long, ten storey high sculpture designed by Anish Kapoor
and Cecil Balmond
. It was on show at the Tate Modern
gallery, London
in 2003 and was commissioned as part of the Unilever Series. Marsyas is the third in a series of commissions for Tate Modern’s Turbine Hall and the first to make use of the entire space.
Anish Kapoor is renowned for his sculptural forms that permeate physical and psychological space. Cecil Balmond is a designer, artist, architect, engineer, thinker and writer. He is also the recipient of the RIBA Charles Jencks Award for Theory in Practice.
Marsyas consists of three steel rings joined together by a single span of specially-designed red PVC membrane. The two rings are positioned vertically, at each end of the space, while a third is suspended parallel with the bridge. Wedged into place, the geometry generated by these three rigid steel structures determines the sculpture’s overall form, a shiftform vertical to horizontal and back to vertical again. Using degital form-finding techniques that simulate the forces found in biological forms – i.e. surface tension, uniform and hydrostatic pressure, the design was inspired by multiple parallel and diverging concepts and processes.
The sculpture's title refers to Marsyas, the satyr
in Greek mythology
, who was flayed alive by the god Apollo
.
The Guardian
called it, “It is the biggest sculpture at Tate Modern and probably the biggest in any art gallery in the world.”
Kapoor and Balmond have collaborated on other art projects. They jointly designed Temenos, ‘a gently twisted tube on a vast butterfly net’ which appeared in June, located in the UK’s Teesside. It is the first of five giant sculpture which will form in the biggest public art work in the world.
Balmond and Kapoor have also designed ArcelorMittal Orbit
which will open for the Olympics 2012.
Anish Kapoor
Anish Kapoor CBE RA is a British sculptor of Indian birth. Born in Mumbai , Kapoor has lived and worked in London since the early 1970s when he moved to study art, first at the Hornsey College of Art and later at the Chelsea School of Art and Design.He represented Britain in the XLIV Venice...
and Cecil Balmond
Cecil Balmond
Cecil Balmond is a Sri Lankan/British designer, engineer, artist, architect, and writer. He has been hailed as "one of the most important forces in contemporary architecture today," and in 2003 received the prestigious RIBA Charles Jencks award for Theory in Practice. He is also the recipient of...
. It was on show at the Tate Modern
Tate Modern
Tate Modern is a modern art gallery located in London, England. It is Britain's national gallery of international modern art and forms part of the Tate group . It is the most-visited modern art gallery in the world, with around 4.7 million visitors per year...
gallery, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in 2003 and was commissioned as part of the Unilever Series. Marsyas is the third in a series of commissions for Tate Modern’s Turbine Hall and the first to make use of the entire space.
Anish Kapoor is renowned for his sculptural forms that permeate physical and psychological space. Cecil Balmond is a designer, artist, architect, engineer, thinker and writer. He is also the recipient of the RIBA Charles Jencks Award for Theory in Practice.
Marsyas consists of three steel rings joined together by a single span of specially-designed red PVC membrane. The two rings are positioned vertically, at each end of the space, while a third is suspended parallel with the bridge. Wedged into place, the geometry generated by these three rigid steel structures determines the sculpture’s overall form, a shiftform vertical to horizontal and back to vertical again. Using degital form-finding techniques that simulate the forces found in biological forms – i.e. surface tension, uniform and hydrostatic pressure, the design was inspired by multiple parallel and diverging concepts and processes.
The sculpture's title refers to Marsyas, the satyr
Satyr
In Greek mythology, satyrs are a troop of male companions of Pan and Dionysus — "satyresses" were a late invention of poets — that roamed the woods and mountains. In myths they are often associated with pipe-playing....
in Greek mythology
Greek mythology
Greek mythology is the body of myths and legends belonging to the ancient Greeks, concerning their gods and heroes, the nature of the world, and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices. They were a part of religion in ancient Greece...
, who was flayed alive by the god Apollo
Apollo
Apollo is one of the most important and complex of the Olympian deities in Greek and Roman mythology...
.
The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
called it, “It is the biggest sculpture at Tate Modern and probably the biggest in any art gallery in the world.”
Kapoor and Balmond have collaborated on other art projects. They jointly designed Temenos, ‘a gently twisted tube on a vast butterfly net’ which appeared in June, located in the UK’s Teesside. It is the first of five giant sculpture which will form in the biggest public art work in the world.
Balmond and Kapoor have also designed ArcelorMittal Orbit
ArcelorMittal Orbit
The ArcelorMittal Orbit is a high observation tower in the Olympic Park in Stratford, London. The steel sculpture is Britain's largest piece of public art, and is a permanent, lasting legacy of London's hosting of the 2012 Summer Olympics, assisting in the post-Olympics regeneration of the...
which will open for the Olympics 2012.