Reaching Beyond

In 2011 I was asked by David Moore to take part in an exhibition called “Reaching Beyond” at Bow, London, a mile from the site of the 2012 Olympic Games.  The exhibition was to be an artistic celebration of the Olympic Games.  David’s idea was to decorate the outside of Bow Methodist Church where the exhibition was to be held, with some of my life size Olympian figures.

On looking at the building and its location I decided it was feasible to do this and set to work producing the figures.  The building lent itself to placing the figures in two locations one above the main doors and the other on the flat roof next to the main entrance.  To visually link the two sets of figures and to keep the theme of the exhibition (Reaching Beyond),  I decided to put a large ascending angel floating in the centre flanked by two Olympic torch bearers visually raising her up.  Reaching above her head are the four Olympic figures “Olympian Gods”, a male and female runner, a male jogger and a female searching the sky for her javelin or discus.

The seven figures took a year to produce and install and were ready for the carrying and handover of the Olympic torch outside the church on the 21st July 2012 and the opening of the exhibition on the 23rd July 2012.