Euclid, is a large mirrored stainless steel sculpture commissioned for Southville Primary School, by Arnolfini in Bristol, as part of the Primary Capital Programme.

Euclid was a Greek mathematician, often referred to as the “Father of Geometry”. His work, the Elements is one of the most influential in the history of mathematics, serving as the main textbook for teaching mathematics (especially geometry) from the time of its publication until the late 19th or early 20th century. Jerram’s artwork is an icosahedron, one of the 5 platonic solids, described in Euclid’s book XIII Proposition 16.

“Whilst expressing my interest in the microscopic world, the artwork is a fusion of geometry, optics and engineering. Acting as a den and contemplation space for children to climb inside, the structure reflects itself, the children and the surrounding landscape of the school” said Luke.

The design grew out a series of workshops which Jerram ran with the children of year 4 (the first group of students to be using the new school). They designed and built 1:50 scaled architectural structures and thought about how they might be used. The children wanted a den, a private space and somewhere fun to hide. During one of the workshops, Jerram saw a child playing with some special magnetic balls, which also influenced the final design of the artwork.

Collaborators

With thanks to Richard Stump, Jude Butcher, Cos_Bu for their work on the project.
With thanks to Airbus in Bristol for their additional support.