Artist’s work in TV spotlight as snooker stars battle it out

ORGANISERS of Sheffield’s annual metalworking festival have unveiled a piece which has been created to tie in with the World Snooker Championships, after the two events coincided in the city.

Each year an artist or designer is commissioned to create a seat for the Galvanise Festival, which is run to publicise Sheffield’s modern metalwork industry and encourage new interest in the craft.

For the 2011 event, a seat has been made by Sheffield-based Darren Richardson from stainless steel spheres, and is according the artist both an “abstract object to be contemplated” as well as a simple bench.

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Mr Richardson said: “The original concept of using balls came about because Galvanize Sheffield coincided with the snooker championships at the Crucible this year and I wanted a subtle link.

“The balls became stainless steel spheres that related to the water features found outside the Winter Garden and took on a chameleon quality using multiple reflections to provide new views of the surroundings that constantly change with the natural light conditions.”

The bench, which is called Macromolecule 136, has now been seen by millions of television viewers around the world after it was placed in the BBC studio area of Sheffield’s Winter Gardens, from where presenters are anchoring the corporation’s coverage of the tournament.

Mr Richardson, who trained at Sheffield City Polytechnic in the 1980s, is now a associate lecturer in design at Sheffield Hallam University, which replaced the polytechnic.

He has made pieces for Manchester United, Rotherham Hospital and MTV.