alex chinneck has melted a two-story wax house, levitated covent garden’s market building, and inverted a london loft, constituting an artistic practice that spans the wild and the whimsical, the surprising and the surreal. thus, chinneck’s latest installation is an extension of the brain-bending and sometimes bizarre public interventions he has become widely known to produce. coined ‘six pins and half a dozen needles’, the london-based sculpture takes the form of a fractured façade, where a building’s brickwork splits in two halves as if ripped apart by some dramatic natural force.

alex chinneck assembly london
all images by charles emerson

 

 

after a year of work, and the installation of 5,000 bespoke bricks and more than 1,000 stainless steel components, ‘six pins and half a dozen needles’ is materialized on the façade of assembly london, a mixed-use office complex in hammersmith. referencing a torn sheet of paper, the intervention seemingly separates the exterior surface of the site into two parts, dramatically altering the quality of the site. chinneck hopes his permanent work invites a surprising sense of wonder and awe for both local residents and casual passersby. 

alex chinneck assembly london
the artist’s practice spans the wild and the whimsical, the surprising and the surreal

 

 

‘the work was conceived to engage people in a fun and uplifting way,’ chinneck says. although we use real brick, it was designed with a cartoon-like quality to give the sculpture an endearing artifice and playful personality. I set out to create accessible artworks and I sincerely hope this becomes a popular landmark for london and positive experience for londoners.’

alex chinneck assembly london
chinneck’s installation is an extension of the brain-bending public interventions he has become widely known for

alex chinneck assembly london
coined ‘six pins and half a dozen needles’, the london-based sculpture takes the form of a fractured façade

alex chinneck assembly london
a building’s brickwork splits in two halves 

alex chinneck assembly london
the tear seems to ripped apart by some dramatic natural force

alex chinneck assembly london
5,000 bespoke bricks and more than 1,000 stainless steel components comprise ‘six pins and half a dozen needles’

alex chinneck assembly london
the intervention is materialized on the façade of assembly london, a mixed-use office complex in hammersmith

alex chinneck assembly london
referencing a torn sheet of paper, the intervention seemingly separates the exterior surface of the site into two parts

alex chinneck assembly london
chinneck hopes his permanent work invites a surprising sense of wonder and awe 

alex chinneck assembly london
making-of: sheets of the broken brick façade are lifted into place