Artist, Marc Quinn’s statue ‘Surge of Power (Jen Reid) 2020’ was unveiled in Bristol at dawn this morning. The statue stands on the plinth where slave trader Edward Colston’s statue once stood before being toppled by protesters a month ago.
One of our Partners, Tim Lucas, helped with the structural engineering and worked with Marc Quinn and his team to create and install the artwork.
‘I received a phone call a few weeks ago about a secret art project in Bristol. ‘Is it something to do with Colston?’ I asked. It was,’ Tim explained.
The statue is free-standing and not drilled into the plinth. It sits on rubber footing to aid grip and smooth out any rough spots on the plinth. ‘The statue is unauthorised. We don’t know how long it will be there and we don’t know if Bristol City Council will remove it.’
Tim engineered ‘Surge of Power’ to withstand interference by external forces. ‘Quinn’s new statue is robust enough not to blow off or be easily pulled off by others climbing the plinth,’ Tim noted.
Below you’ll find footage of the artist’s team installing the statue this morning. Film courtesy of the artist, art logistics firm Mtec, and photographer Hassan Akkad.
