'the sphelix' by johnny hawkes

rendering of a sphelix building with ideas of light activation, slightly open in daylight, closed at night

joining the world

johnny hawkes a self taught british artist has created ‘the sphelix’ together with dave constable. it took 30 years in the making and will be on display as part of the space in time exhibition. the inspiration for ‘the sphelix’ shape was found in a small helical crack which developed in the cast of a resin ball. from this crack, the concept evolved into a two-part form that seamlessly connects and locks to create a perfect sphere. collaborating with deltacam systems, an engineering company and using software created by cambridge university they were able to produce the first aluminium sphelix in 1984. ‘the sphelix’ adds a new element to shapes like circles, triangles and rectangles. 

http://www.sphelix.com

http://www.theworx.co.uk

90cm diameter sphelix, commisioned in 2006 by mckay securities plc for their development in lotus park

a double entwined sphelix has since been cast into bronze