Celebration of Reinvention

45000 balloons

Organic form of the 45000 balloons used to create celebration of reinvention

Curated Commission for Wirksworth Arts Festival.

For the sculptural intervention in St Marys Church I chose to use balloons because of there association with celebration. The reason for the 3 colours that are used, and the proportion to eachother , is derived from a pie chart of the population census statistics for 1801, 1901 and 2001 - comparing the figures and converting them into a pie chart giving a visual comparison  between the figures. The sculpture models these statistics on the changing population of Wirksworth, physically manifesting them using tens of thousands of coloured balloons using a different colour to represent each century.

The historic Parish Records were displayed alongside the work.

The sculptures represent the relative growth of the population census results for Wirksworth by comparing 1801, 1901, 2001 in a pie chart to derive the proportions of the 3 colours in the sculptural installation.

2978    25%    1801.  Dark Green

3809    30%    1901.  Bright Green

5688    45%    2001.  White

The figues have been taken from the parish records and www.wirksworth.org.uk   The configuration of the sculpture exploits the aesthetic of organic growth of the population and is use that growth as a celebration of Wirksworth successful reinvention through the centuries.  1000's of balloons chosen to be sculpted representing, as usual, celebration, have been pierced and h=threaded on steel and aluminium bar and installed in the void of the church bell tower to ' float impossibly' in their coral like form.

45,000 balloons were used in the sculptural installation.

David Booth is a Fine Artist and Member of the Royal Society of Sculptors. Booth has a broad contemporary practice which includes sculptures, installations, ceramics, paintings, photographs and digital artwork. You can browse through curated selection showing examples of his artwork. He is proud to have worked with many arts organisations, curators; He has exhibited in art-fairs nationally and has UK and international collectors. He has exhibited at arts festivals, on sculpture trails, galleries and most recently been selected by ECC curators to exhibit in Venice Biennial 2021.