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Turning the World into Art

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Art student painting

Our artists understand the importance of art in understanding the world around us. From Van Gogh's The Starry Night to Jupiter's artistic facade.

A Slipstream of Silver

Richard Wilson has been surprising the world with his visionary, site-specific installation art since the 1990s. His portfolio includes works such as 20:50, which used highly reflective sump oil to create visual illusions, and Turning the Place Over, which rotated an 8-meter diameter section of a building.  

A piece designed to capture the drama of an air-show, now hangs in Terminal 2, Heathrow Airport. The sculpture is over 70 metres long, weighs 77 tonnes and captures the movement of air as it passes over the wings of a plane.  

The sculpture was brought to life when twice world champion stunt pilot Paul Bonhomme recreated the pattern from the sculpture in an impressive show above Audley End Airfield in Saffron Walden.

Watch the full show and the short behind the scenes documentary
 Slipstream sculpture

One Breath at a Time

Art and activism go hand in hand at UEL. Michael Pinsky’s sculptures and installation art are changing the way we think about climate action.  

His headlining installation piece, Pollution Pods, uses combinations of humidifiers, air conditioners and perfumes to recreate the smells and atmospheres of five different cities from around the world, from Trondheim, Norway to New Delhi, India. The Pods are completely safe and have hosted many famous guests including UN policy makers, the Director of the Department of Public Health and Environment at the World Health Organization (WHO) Dr Maria Neira and climate activist, Greta Thunberg.  

Learn more about Pinksy's work
 Pollution Pods installation

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