Art Installation at Chiswick Park Sundial

Project

Mark Wallinger art installation at Chiswick House – British Summer Time

We are honoured to work with Turner Prize Winning Artist Mark Wallinger again, this time on a site specific artwork for Chiswick House, London, UK called British Summer Time. The artwork is a vast analemmatic sundial in the grounds of Chiswick House and forms part of their re-opening as a cultural hotspot in West London. We sponsored the entire installation and worked with Chiswick House and Mark Wallinger from the earliest conception of the installation, Throughout the project we researched and advised on the best materials to suit the brief and then conducted the complex measuring and installation on site with four of our team at Links Signs.

The sundial was precisely calculated to the coordinates of Chiswick House Exedra and was laid out as a vast ellipse (c. 20m by 7m) with stone spheres marking the hours of the day. Each stone sphere weighs in at 20kg and is held in place with steel rods and heavy duty steel plates in the grass of the gardens. To experience “British Summer Time” visitors are asked to stand on a central series of stone flag stones that show the months of the year. When standing on the current month, the shadow they cast points towards the correct time of day, positioning them within the Earth’s daily and yearly cycle around the sun.

Added to this experience of British Summer Time a musical box on the site plays the tune of a familiar waltz every hour as bubbles are released into the air. British Summer Time is a celebration of the summer months and the joy of being outside in the sunshine, while the fragility of the bubbles and ephemerality of our shadows are evocative of the transience of all such moments.

Links Signs’ MD, Tony Kidby said,

“Links Signs were honoured to be asked to work on another public art project with Mark Wallinger and the great team at Chiswick House. We have had the pleasure of working with Mark before on the iconic Labyrinth project on the London Underground in 2013 and we jumped at the opportunity to sponsor this project for him at Chiswick House. It was a complicated brief and the creation of the sundial on site required lots of measuring that truly tested our mathematical abilities. It was a memorable and fantastic experience! Mark told me he was absolutely thrilled with British Summer Time and so are we.”

Links Signs worked with Mark Wallinger on a project in 2013 called Labyrinth to mark 150 years of the London Underground. The vitreous enamel tiles used for this installation are still in place in the London Underground Stations.

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What our clients say

A pleasure to work with Links again on such a poignant programme. Delivering amazing high quality. Very much looking forward to working together again in the future.
Robert Varney – Engagement Officer (North) & TfL Charities Scheme Manager
Links Signs took on the challenge to provide the awards for the first Transport for London Supplier Awards. Using products and materials that are supplied to TfL for our station signage, Links created very impressive plaques for our winners and runners up. Throughout the production process Links kept TfL up to date with images, delivery schedule and were always on hand to clarify any queries. We look forward to working with them again next year.
Amanda Green – Transport for London
Link Signs provide a first class service throughout the design, production and delivery process. I worked closely with the team on a high profile project, with requirements changing on a sometimes daily basis. Links Signs went and above and beyond to meet our requirements and surpassed our expectations. I would highly recommend and endorse working with Link Signs.
Catherine Villegas – Project Manager, Transport for London
The team at Links Signs provide unfailing support and flexibility, which enables us to develop ambitious schemes and be confident of the highest quality results. Working with them has transformed the way we approach our exhibition design.
Catherine Harvey – Hastings Museum Office & Keeper of World Art
Links Signs successfully managed a complex project overseeing the manufacture and installation of 48 panels to create a bespoke mural on the Transport for London (TfL) owned bridge and the station entrance at Northwood Hills station. Links ensured not only that all the technical and engineering requirements of TfL were met but also that the extensive colour hues specified by mural artists Gordon Collett and Cosmo Sarson were achieved. The finished result is wonderful, as summed up by Mayor of London Boris Johnson when he visited ‘My God, it’s beautiful! Did we do this? The murals – they’re sensational!’ He added: ‘I think it’s all fantastic, really imaginative. I’m very proud.’
Helena Webster – Town Centre Improvements Team Manager, London Borough of Hillingdon
Links Signs are experienced, professional and offer great value for money. I know I am in safe hands when I am working with them.
Mariam Zulfiqar – Freelance Curator