Passacaglia - Brighton beach, East Sussex.
Posted by: 
greysman
N 50° 49.206 W 000° 08.634
30U E 701168 N 5633707
A man-made geological shift that has been exposed, tilted and uplifted.
Waymark Code: WMDXF8
Location: Southern England, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 03/06/2012
Views: 9
The term Passacaglia derives from the Spanish pasar - to walk - and calle - street. It is a musical term and originated in early 17th century Spain as a rasgueado (strummed) interlude between instrumentally accompanied dances or songs. Despite being Spanish the first written examples of passacaglias are found in an Italian source dated 1606 and are simple, brief sequences of chords outlining a cadential formula.
So a Passacaglia is a walk in the street, here interpreted by Charles Hadcock as 'geometric plates of cast iron bolted together and inspired by the engineering feats of the Victorian Piers'. It weighs 20tonnes and has been here on the beach since March 1998. Funded by the Arts Council Lottery Board with support from Brighton & Hove Council it draws a large number of visitors who come to look, to touch, and to find a certain geocache, GC1BRCH.
The following extracts from the Fitzwilliam Museum web site: Charles Hadcock was born in Derby in 1965 and now lives in the North West, based in Preston. He studied fine art at the Royal College of Art, London (1987-89), specializing in sculpture, and in 2004 was made a fellow of the RSA. In April 2007 he was made a recipient of the Queen’s Award for Enterprise Promotion, one of only 10 individuals in the country. In 2008 he was made a Fellow of The Royal British Society of Sculptors.
Hadcock’s monumental sculpture reflects his interest in geology, engineering and mathematics and is enriched by references to music and poetry. Finding that forms observed within the natural world are often the source for solving practical design problems, Hadcock has utilized this both at first- and at second-hand. His direct observation of rock surfaces, for example, has provided sources for the surface of his sculptures, while he has appropriated items such as designed or engineered solutions for packaging and machinery of various types. These, cast in other materials, become components for his sculptures.
Title: Passacaglia
Artist: Charle Hadcock
Media (materials) used: Cast-iron
Location (specific park, transit center, library, etc.): Brighton beach
Date of creation or placement: March 1998
|
Visit Instructions:To help give a different perspective and to better the waymark for future visitors please tell us about your visit and upload a favorite photograph you took of the waymark.