Pylon sculpture wins Jerwood prize

Visocchi's proposal was one of eight shortlisted works

A sculpture made using scaled down models of electricity pylons has won the 2009 Jerwood Sculpture Prize.

The £25,000 commission will see winning artist Michael Visocchi produce a large-scale work at the Jerwood Sculpture Park in Warwickshire.

The sculpture will be unveiled in the park - in the grounds of Ragley Hall - in spring 2010.

Visocchi said the work aimed to provoke thought about climate change, carbon footprints and renewable energy.

He said: "The search to produce and transmit more and more energy is now acknowledged to be directly proportional to negative impacts on global climate.

"The paradox is, however, that pylons are a necessity for a successful and vital link in servicing communities around the country as we continue to consume more energy to satisfy increasingly complex lifestyles."

Modern technology

For his proposal, Visocchi took scaled down models of electricity pylons found near Ragley and placed one on top of the other.

Constructed in galvanised mild steel, the sculpture will stand as a monument to modern day technology and, at 18 metres high, will be a presence on the landscape.

The Jerwood Sculpture Prize is in its fifth year and, this year, eight artists were shortlisted from 120 applications.

Studies of the eight shortlisted proposals will be on display in the Jerwood Space, Union Street, in south east London, until 9 April.

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