Flight of the Langoustine’, a monumental new sculpture from Pierre Diamantopoulo, will be installed on Hove Plinth on Thursday 14th September, before being officially inaugurated at a public event on Sunday 17th September 3pm by the Mayor of Brighton & Hove.
Inspired by the success of the Fourth Plinth in London’s Trafalgar Square, Hove Plinth was created in 2018 following a major community effort led by Hove Civic Society. Located on Brighton & Hove’s historic seafront, the plinth’s aim is to showcase a range of artists over time and was made possible thanks to voluntary work and contributions from local residents, businesses and grant funders.
Flight of the Langoustine will be the second sculpture installed on Hove Plinth, following a national call to artists. Created by acclaimed Brighton based sculptor Pierre Diamantopoulo, the sculpture depicts four life-size figures leaping for freedom through broken steel bars. The idea for the piece of art was born after Pierre found a discarded and mangled lobster pot on Brighton beach. In his imagination, the washed-up object that had seemingly helped the lobsters escape translated itself into a wider story of human exodus and release – a dash for freedom. The theme of quest for freedom will invite many individual interpretations and the exuberance with which the figures break through the barriers is testimony to hope and the possibility of change.
Tipping the scales at an impressive 2.2 tonnes and sitting approximately 3.5 meters high and 3 metres wide, the four figures have been cast in bronze and set in a ring of steel. The meticulous design and sculpting process took 26 months spread over 3 years. Each figure took 16 weeks to sculpt by hand. After this, they were cast in bronze in 2022 using the lost wax method, with fabrication and assembly following in 2023.
Diamantopoulo, describes the figures as; “An absurdist response to a profound sense of unrest. Faceless and inspired by the anarchic articulation of modern dance choreography, they flee or fly in defiance, challenged by a chaotic or shifting stage; their fate is in the balance, up in the air or in the hands of a capricious nature or creator.”
He added: “My work is resolutely restive and energetic, moved by a sense of the uncertain and the bizarre; always tinged with wry humour and never afraid to be elegant or beautiful. I bring the strongly convergent lines and shapes of abstraction together with classical anatomy in an unsettling art of movement, where gravity and levity are at odds and the powerful forces of motion and emotion are at play.
The opportunities for sculptors to engage in meaningful and well-placed public art are far and few between. The work that the Hove Civic Society has done to create the Hove Plinth as a conduit and focus for an even greater ambition, ‘Sculpture in our City’, has been a phenomenal undertaking and delivered against all odds. Many art facilitators, strategists and local bodies would do well to learn from their vision and achievement.”
Helmut Lusser, Chair of Hove Civic Society, said: “Cities need public art for all of us to enjoy. I am delighted that the Society for the second time has been able to contribute a major piece of public art to our City. Let this be the start of an open air art gallery for all of us that live, visit and work in this wonderful city.”
Lydia Eustace, Marketing Director at Moda, said: “Community is at the core of everything we do at Moda, so it has been a great pleasure to support such an incredible platform for art in Hove, ahead of the opening of our new neighbourhood. As a long-term neighbour to our surrounding communities, we are committed to creating spaces that are activated and encourage wellness and engagement.”
The arrival of the sculpture is a great example of what the community can achieve with passion commitment and persistence. The initial sculpture for Hove Plinth, Constellation by Jonathan Wright, will be moved to the grounds of Hove Museum of Creativity, in line with Hove Civic Society’s plan to build up a new legacy sculpture trail over time.
For more information on Flight of the Langoustine and Hove plinth, visit here.
For more information on Moda, Hove Central visit here.
