Illuminated Waterfall

80 slides, 35mm slide projector and projector stand

Installation

White Bicycle

Roses, paper, canvas in glass vitrine

Art History

Readymade

Life size sculpture of Ludwig Wittgenstein standing

[ξ, N(ξ)]’(η) (= [η, ξ, N(ξ)])

Waxwork sculpture

Life size sculpture of Ludwig Wittgenstein standing

Now, the neon sculpture by artist Gavin Turk, positioned upon the facade of Somerset House, displays the number 7,315,694,298 - the estimated population of the world at 6pm of Tuesday 17 March 2015, the moment of its first illumination. &nbsp; Turk describes the artwork as “a symbolic threshold, inviting visitors to transcend through a fixed point in time” as they pass underneath it to enter Somerset House’s New Wing, a testimony to “each individual’s solitude, power, and transient existence as part of an unimaginably expansive whole.”

Red neon mounted on a box behind perspex

Now, the neon sculpture by artist Gavin Turk, positioned upon the facade of Somerset House, displays the number 7,315,694,298 - the estimated population of the world at 6pm of Tuesday 17 March 2015, the moment of its first illumination. Turk describes the artwork as “a symbolic threshold, inviting visitors to transcend through a fixed point in time” as they pass underneath it to enter Somerset House’s New Wing, a testimony to “each individual’s solitude, power, and transient existence as part of an unimaginably expansive whole.”

Signs

Now, the neon sculpture by artist Gavin Turk, positioned upon the facade of Somerset House, displays the number 7,315,694,298 - the estimated population of the world at 6pm of Tuesday 17 March 2015, the moment of its first illumination.   Turk describes the artwork as “a symbolic threshold, inviting visitors to transcend through a fixed point in time” as they pass underneath it to enter Somerset House’s New Wing, a testimony to “each individual’s solitude, power, and transient existence as part of an unimaginably expansive whole.”

Installation info: Unpacking Instructions: Inside the crate are the following items: - Waxwork body - Chair - Table - Easel (in two parts) - Painting in a travel frame - Cardboard box containing the waxwork waxwork head, palette, paintbrush, egg and the apple core To unpack the work inside this crate first remove the two grey foam-lined timber braces which trap the table and the figure in place. Remove the screws from the outside of the crate to free them. Remove the table from the crate, being careful that the table legs don’t knock the figure on the way out. Then remove the egg painting in its travel frame. The headless figure can then be lifted out and away. It is not attached to the chair and will need another chair to sit on in the meantime. Then remove the chair from the crate. It has been repaired in the studio and still has the clamps attached. Please leave the clamps in place. Gavin will look at this when he arrives. Inside the cardboard box is the head, palette, paintbrush, egg and the apple core. The wax head is VERY fragile and must be handled extremely carefully. The finish is easily scratched. Please rest it on a soft surface covered with the white tyveck fabric it is wrapped in. The egg and apple-core are also very fragile. Handle these very lightly when unwrapping Life size sculpture of Ludwig Wittgenstein sitting

Telesthesia

Glass and mixed media

Installation info: Unpacking Instructions:Inside the crate are the following items:- Waxwork body- Chair- Table- Easel (in two parts)- Painting in a travel frame- Cardboard box containing the waxwork waxwork head, palette, paintbrush, egg and the apple coreTo unpack the work inside this crate first remove the two grey foam-lined timber braces which trap the table and the figure in place. Remove the screws from the outside of the crate to free them.Remove the table from the crate, being careful that the table legs don’t knock the figure on the way out. Then remove the egg painting in its travel frame. The headless figure can then be lifted out and away. It is not attached to the chair and will need another chair to sit on in the meantime. Then remove the chair from the crate. It has been repaired in the studio and still has the clamps attached. Please leave the clamps in place. Gavin will look at this when he arrives. Inside the cardboard box is the head, palette, paintbrush, egg and the apple core. The wax head is VERY fragile and must be handled extremely carefully. The finish is easily scratched. Please rest it on a soft surface covered with the white tyveck fabric it is wrapped in. The egg and apple-core are also very fragile. Handle these very lightly when unwrappingLife size sculpture of Ludwig Wittgenstein sitting

Installation info: Unpacking Instructions: Inside the crate are the following items: - Waxwork body - Chair - Table - Easel (in two parts) - Painting in a travel frame - Cardboard box containing the waxwork waxwork head, palette, paintbrush, egg and the apple core To unpack the work inside this crate first remove the two grey foam-lined timber braces which trap the table and the figure in place. Remove the screws from the outside of the crate to free them. Remove the table from the crate, being careful that the table legs don’t knock the figure on the way out.

Thinks

Silver vinyl wall drawing

Gavin Turk was commissioned by Opera Erratica to design the set of a three-part opera piece titled Triptych.This original opera consists of three seemingly unrelated plays, composed by Chris Mayo, Thomas Smetryns and Christian Mason, with librettos by Orlando Wells and Patrick Eakin Young. Here, a selection of Gavin Turk's artworks are reproduced in a trompe l'oeil fashion as a simulation of the artist's exhibition, and reinserted into the context of the stage. In relation to Turk's oeuvre this presentation effects a double-distancing (a simulacrum of the simulacrum), or mise en abîme i.e a technique in which an image contains a smaller copy of itself. The stage becomes an apt conceptual space for themes of representation, reproduction and recomposition - and also for the deconstruction of these themes. As a back-drop it prevents each play from sitting too comfortably on itself, acting as a doubly false setting that occasionally reverts into the real setting as the characters' roles shift and return to their original stance.

Triptych

Paint on canvas and wood

Gavin Turk was commissioned by Opera Erratica to design the set of a three-part opera piece titled Triptych.This original opera consists of three seemingly unrelated plays, composed by Chris Mayo, Thomas Smetryns and Christian Mason, with librettos by Orlando Wells and Patrick Eakin Young. Here, a selection of Gavin Turk's artworks are reproduced in a trompe l'oeil fashion as a simulation of the artist's exhibition, and reinserted into the context of the stage. In relation to Turk's oeuvre this presentation effects a double-distancing (a simulacrum of the simulacrum), or mise en abîme i.e a technique in which an image contains a smaller copy of itself. The stage becomes an apt conceptual space for themes of representation, reproduction and recomposition - and also for the deconstruction of these themes. As a back-drop it prevents each play from sitting too comfortably on itself, acting as a doubly false setting that occasionally reverts into the real setting as the characters' roles shift and return to their original stance.

Recycling

The End

Performance

Gavin Turk was commissioned by Opera Erratica to design the set of a three-part opera piece titled Triptych.This original opera consists of three seemingly unrelated plays, composed by Chris Mayo, Thomas Smetryns and Christian Mason, with librettos by Orlando Wells and Patrick Eakin Young. Here, a selection of Gavin Turk's artworks are reproduced in a trompe l'oeil fashion as a simulation of the artist's exhibition, and reinserted into the context of the stage.

Installation info: Neon Craft spec:1 set of (Blue 4) neon numbers in 15mm glass to read "7,201,964,238" height of number "7" 925mm over all spread of installation 8.5m x 1.26m tall (to be fitted onto the frame with cetral height of 1.5m) including 1 off 10/50 and 1 off 6/50 transformers with protection built in. double insulated HT cables, Supports and Electrode covers to suit.  See notes regarding internal install parts included in casing for Yard at CCA (June 2015)First mounted on the exterior of the Bowes Museum’s iconic façade in 2014 for the solo exhibition 'Seven Billion Two Hundred and One Million Nine Hundred and Sixty-Four Thousand and Two Hundred and Thirty-Eight', Turk’s monumental neon sign broadcasts the number 7,201,964,238; the specific median population of planet Earth at the time both the exhibition and the work itself opened on the 25th January 2014 at 6pm.Set high above the museum’s main entrance, Turk’s sign is a symbolic threshold: inviting visitors to transcend through a fixed point in time, bearing testimony to each individual’s solitude, power, and transient existence as part of an unimaginably expansive whole. "This monumental neon sign broadcasts the number 7,201,964,238; the specific median human population at the time the work itself opened on the 24th January 2014 at 6pm. Turk’s sign is a symbolic threshold: inviting visitors to transcend through a fixed point in time, a broken clock referring to a historical moment in our exponential growth as a species.  Like On Kawara’s date artworks here is a recording of the now (passed), a pause for thought captured in the gas of the neon. Electricity passes through the gas in the tube exciting the electrons which convert into photons that light up. The Neon light itself is a symbol of consumer culture: alluding to the objects of desire beyond it.  It’s a hand written sign as if by Mario Merz as part of his Fibonacci series. The geometry and geography of nature repeated in patterned sequences - in plants, seeds, crustaceans and leaf growth. Here encapsulating the human condition. We are one – the individual as part of the masses. The large number equals one." Gavin Turk, 2015

We Are One

Blue neon

Installation info: Neon Craft spec:1 set of (Blue 4) neon numbers in 15mm glass to read "7,201,964,238" height of number "7" 925mm over all spread of installation 8.5m x 1.26m tall (to be fitted onto the frame with cetral height of 1.5m) including 1 off 10/50 and 1 off 6/50 transformers with protection built in. double insulated HT cables, Supports and Electrode covers to suit. See notes regarding internal install parts included in casing for Yard at CCA (June 2015)First mounted on the exterior of the Bowes Museum’s iconic façade in 2014 for the solo exhibition 'Seven Billion Two Hundred and One Million Nine Hundred and Sixty-Four Thousand and Two Hundred and Thirty-Eight', Turk’s monumental neon sign broadcasts the number 7,201,964,238; the specific median population of planet Earth at the time both the exhibition and the work itself opened on the 25th January 2014 at 6pm.Set high above the museum’s main entrance, Turk’s sign is a symbolic threshold: inviting visitors to transcend through a fixed point in time, bearing testimony to each individual’s solitude, power, and transient existence as part of an unimaginably expansive whole. "This monumental neon sign broadcasts the number 7,201,964,238; the specific median human population at the time the work itself opened on the 24th January 2014 at 6pm. Turk’s sign is a symbolic threshold: inviting visitors to transcend through a fixed point in time, a broken clock referring to a historical moment in our exponential growth as a species. Like On Kawara’s date artworks here is a recording of the now (passed), a pause for thought captured in the gas of the neon. Electricity passes through the gas in the tube exciting the electrons which convert into photons that light up. The Neon light itself is a symbol of consumer culture: alluding to the objects of desire beyond it. It’s a hand written sign as if by Mario Merz as part of his Fibonacci series. The geometry and geography of nature repeated in patterned sequences - in plants, seeds, crustaceans and leaf growth. Here encapsulating the human condition. We are one – the individual as part of the masses. The large number equals one." Gavin Turk, 2015

Installation info: Neon Craft spec: 1 set of (Blue 4) neon numbers in 15mm glass to read "7,201,964,238" height of number "7" 925mm over all spread of installation 8.5m x 1.26m tall (to be fitted onto the frame with cetral height of 1.5m) including 1 off 10/50 and 1 off 6/50 transformers with protection built in. double insulated HT cables, Supports and Electrode covers to suit.

A bronze cast of egg shaped ball finished in chrome and displayed in the centre of a diagrammatic &lsquo;pitch&rsquo; with lines drawn in sports-type grass paint.

Eggball

Chrome finished bronze & paint on grass

Eggs

A bronze cast of egg shaped ball finished in chrome and displayed in the centre of a diagrammatic ‘pitch’ with lines drawn in sports-type grass paint.

Installation info: The maze can be installed inside or outside on a suitably flat foundation. The bottom edge of the panels should be fixed to the ground if installed in a public space.A maze made from two way mirrored glass.

The Golden Thread

Aluminium Frame, laminated Glass and mirror film

Aluminium Frame, laminated glass and mirror film

Ariadne

Labyrinths

Mirrors

Installation info: The maze can be installed inside or outside on a suitably flat foundation. The bottom edge of the panels should be fixed to the ground if installed in a public space.A maze made from two way mirrored glass.

A maze made from two way mirrored glass.

Outsider

An installation consisting of a postcard rack filled with postcards of the image used for the piece 'window'.

Window rack

Postcards & Metal Display Rack

Celebrity

Faces

Flags

An installation consisting of a postcard rack filled with postcards of the image used for the piece 'window'.

Pair of crutches with Stuffed Robin resting on top displayed with framed text describing the piece.

M&uuml;nchausen&rsquo;s Robin

Animalia

Pair of crutches with Stuffed Robin resting on top displayed with framed text describing the piece.

Münchausen's Robin

An ‘historical blue plaque’ to commemorate work done by the artist during his time at the Royal College of Art. In a sky-lit wood-panelled room inside the Royal College of Art mounted on an otherwise empty wall in an otherwise empty room, a blue ceramic English heritage plaque reads “Gavin Turk, Sculptor, worked here 1989 – 1991”. A commemoration of a life, it marks the presence of the artist with the most powerful and evocative of the tools that might be at his disposal - his absence. The curtain has fallen. The titles are rolling. Gavin Turk has left the stage. Death as performance. While the absence of the artist, we make the art. The artist is no more and all that is left for the audience in this empty white space is to reverently imagine the work which once filled this space, while apprehending that the emptiness is the work. And so material object of the plaque frames the space and the art work frames the artist, the one somehow preceding the other in an elliptical sleight of hand, as the end frames the beginning. All that is left behind of the artist is a memorial to an implied body of work, and by extension, an implied life and worth, while the title, after Plato’s famous allegory, tells of a hidden reality we can neither see nor know. In an unexpected twist to the tale, Cave has additionally become infamous as the piece of work that "won" Turk a fail for his Masters which he had been studying for at the Royal College of Art. Ironically, it has gone on to become regarded as one of Turk's most iconic pieces.

Cave

Ceramic plaque in room

An ‘historical blue plaque’ to commemorate work done by the artist during his time at the Royal College of Art. In a sky-lit wood-panelled room inside the Royal College of Art mounted on an otherwise empty wall  in an otherwise empty room, a blue ceramic English heritage plaque reads “Gavin Turk, Sculptor, worked here 1989 – 1991”. A commemoration of a life, it marks the presence of the artist with the most powerful and evocative of the tools that might be at his disposal - his absence. The curtain has fallen. The titles are rolling. Gavin Turk has left the stage. Death as performance. While the absence of the artist, we make the art. The artist is no more and all that is left for the audience in this empty white space is to reverently imagine the work which once filled this space, while apprehending that the emptiness is the work. And so material object of the plaque frames the space and the art work frames the artist, the one somehow preceding the other in an elliptical sleight of hand, as the end frames the beginning. All that is left behind of the artist is a memorial to an implied body of work, and by extension, an implied life and worth, while the title, after Plato’s famous allegory, tells of a hidden reality we can neither see nor know. In an unexpected twist to the tale, Cave has additionally become infamous as the piece of work that "won" Turk a fail for his Masters which he had been studying for at the Royal College of Art. Ironically, it has gone on to become regarded as one of Turk's most iconic pieces.

Authorship

Fate

Illusion

An ‘historical blue plaque’ to commemorate work done by the artist during his time at the Royal College of Art. In a sky-lit wood-panelled room inside the Royal College of Art mounted on an otherwise empty wall in an otherwise empty room, a blue ceramic English heritage plaque reads “Gavin Turk, Sculptor, worked here 1989 – 1991”. A commemoration of a life, it marks the presence of the artist with the most powerful and evocative of the tools that might be at his disposal - his absence. The curtain has fallen. The titles are rolling. Gavin Turk has left the stage. Death as performance.

Installation info: Each cube consists of 6 panels (no bottom) and 8 brackets. &nbsp;NB: &nbsp;Brackets are in bottom of crate One embedded in the foam. &nbsp;

All edges of the cubes are very vulnerable so great care should be taken when handling and assembly should be done where the work is to be place as once put together it will not be possible to move.

The 4 mirror sides have an extended section of chipboard on the bottom edge so gather these together first and arrange so they are placed in a running butt sequence (see snap attached of a birds-eye drawing to illustrate this). &nbsp; &nbsp;Then use 8 brackets. &nbsp;4 on inside of bottom and 4 on inside of top - If you need help in placing these the holes should be visible from previous installations to guide you. &nbsp;It is crucial to ensure all right angles are square and flush whilst doing this.

Once the four sides are all screwed together, the top panel needs placing. &nbsp;This consists of two parts. &nbsp;Place the chip board panel with finger hole first, this rests on other chipboard of the side panels, and then finally place glass top panel flush. &nbsp;(This can be done without use of suckers.) &nbsp;

*16 mm size 4 screws if none included

(September 2016)

Four aged and tarnished mirror-plated cubes

Robert Morris Untitled 1965-72

Distressed mirror plate glass and wood in four parts

Four aged and tarnished mirror-plated cubes

Infinity

Installation info: Each cube consists of 6 panels (no bottom) and 8 brackets.  NB:  Brackets are in bottom of crate One embedded in the foam.   All edges of the cubes are very vulnerable so great care should be taken when handling and assembly should be done where the work is to be place as once put together it will not be possible to move.

Installation info: MIRROR INSTALLATION & DEINSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONSPlacing the floor:Take the panels out of the crates and differentiate the position that each one should take in relation to the whole sculpture.  The panels have their positions written on them on the inside center in pencil.  Position the floor base and decide on its orientation. The base needs to be level so if the floor is on a slight slope or on uneven ground use small shims or wedges to keep it as flat and level as possible.Bolt on the twelve floor plates in their corresponding positions, check that the letters correspond with one another and arrange so the letters are always facing up. Make sure sufficient pressure is applied when bolting the panels down so they are firm and secure.Take the floor panel and slide it over the grid of floor plates so it rests on the floor base. Push down evenly to make sure it’s firmly in place. Test the floor panel is securely slotted into place by walking on the base and checking its firm under foot and there is no movement.Joining the panels:Select a perspex strip and place it into the rebate of one of the short sides of the floor panel. Lift the corresponding side panel onto the perspex strip so that the two panels sit at right angles. Make sure the perspex is evenly spaced within the rebate and that the panels are evenly slotted together with an equal gap visible between them. Make sure that someone continues to hold the side panel securely in place. Put the next Perspex strip into the rebate of the floor panel, this will join onto the back panel. Lift the back panel on the perspex as was done with the previous panel when the two panels are both securely held in position and evenly spaced. Slightly tip the two panels back by a few degrees so there is enough room to slot the vertical perspex strip between the two to form the corner. Fit this into place whilst simultaneously lifting the panels back into their vertical position. You should now have the first corner fixed in place. Note that where the three strips of perspex meet there should be an equal triangular space. If the horizontal strips seem to slip down then make small paper shims/wedges to place in the rebate to keep the horizontal Perspex strip in position and the triangular gap even in size.Continue the same technique until all four walls are in place.Placing the roof:Strap or hold the four sides of the sculpture together. Pass the roof section up and onto the top of the walls so that it sits long-ways over-hanging the edges. Make sure there are plenty of people to help (ideally four or more), as this needs to be done very gently so as not to scratch any of the panels.Go inside the sculpture and with a minimum of four persons lift the roof section up and turn it into its desired position so that it’s floating above the walls.  Place the Perspex strips into the rebates on top of the walls. Designate one edge of the roof and lower this to slot onto the corresponding perspex strip. Next ease in the two sides working evenly along both at the same time so the roof evenly slots down into place.  Finally fit the last edge onto the Perspex. The roof should slot in evenly with the same size gaps and triangular spacing as the wall sections.Finish:When the sculpture is assembled make any last alteration by either moving, wiggling or pushing panels. Check that all the gaps between panels are evenly spaced and all the corner triangles are even in appearance. Touch-up, fill, sand and/or repaint any scuffs and/or paint work.Take down:Exactly as above but in reverse, Make sure when taking down panels that the perspex strips are removed early as they are likely to get caught between rebates and can easily drop out and potentially scratch etc.A cubic room with transparent edges and a door on one side. White on the outside, but dark inside, with the only light coming in through the perspex edges.

Mirror

Wood and perspex

A cubic room with transparent edges and a door on one side. White on the outside, but dark inside, with the only light coming in through the perspex edges.

Identity

Installation info: MIRROR INSTALLATION & DEINSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS Placing the floor: Take the panels out of the crates and differentiate the position that each one should take in relation to the whole sculpture. The panels have their positions written on them on the inside center in pencil. Position the floor base and decide on its orientation.