'Twins' is a permanent sound and light sculpture by Charlie Hooker. It is situated in Churchill Square and was funded by the Standard Life Insurance Company. 'Twins' uses the passage of the sun across the sky to trigger sounds which emanate from the sculpture. There are sensors on the sculpture which trigger the sound as the sunlight hits it and there is a ledge around the plinth so that people can sit and listen. The sound rises as the sun comes up and fades again as the sun goes down.
The images on the etched bronze plaque surfaces are derived from weather patterns recorded on location during the year the sculpture was made, 1997-98. These graph patterns have been digitally translated into twelve sound pieces, one for every month of the year. The idea for the piece was that the sounds made by the sculpture would draw people into Churchill Square. At night a light shines from within the sculptures to produce two star shapes on the ground of the square.
Charlie Hooker's work over the past 30 years has ranged from music, performance and visual art to the production of exhibitions, sculptures and installations that link art to science. He is Professor of Sculpture and course leader for MA Fine Art at the University of Brighton, and has helped develop methods of teaching from primary education through to postgraduate levels. For more information on Hooker go to www.charliehooker.co.uk.
See the next artwork: Cut and Sediment