Project Summary
Sculptor Michael Dan Archer was commissioned by Novartis a major global manufacturer of pharmaceuticals to realise an iconic new public sculpture to complement Building 150, a new development on the Novartis Grimsby site.  The Chinese Granite and Basalt Stele and Fragmented Ring work together to create a fitting landmark for the building, reflecting the vision of this global company.

Overall Aim
To complement Building 150, the Client sought to commission an iconic sculpture that would celebrate this new build, create a focal point for its location and articulate a vision for the work of the company.

“My sculptures primarily invoke the massiveness and physicality of stone and its relationship to architecture, humanitiy and landscape . . . The stele is an abstract representation of a standing figure and this form, widening as it arises, can be seen as a metaphor for the spirit.  The circular base is a metaphor for wholeness and connectivity.”

Michael Dan Archer, Artist.

What did we do?
Beam worked in close consultation with the client and staff team at Novartis Grimsby appointing Michael Dan Archer following a nation design competition for the commission.  Michael Dan Archer is a British artist and sculptor working in the UK and internationally and is an Associate of the Royal Society of British Sculptors. 

With winning designs in place, he further developed his work – leading a workshop with the client and staff team at Novartis to generate ideas for appropriate imagery to be sandblasted onto the surface of the fragmented ring elements – developing a connection between the art, people and place.  This site-specific work is designed to be effective from any vantage point including above - iconic from a distance yet intriguing on an intimate level as people approach and interact.

What did we achieve?
In addition to celebrating the completion of a major new building and creating a focal point for its location, the work particularly articulates a vision for the company and a connection that will endure.  The precise stele form reflects the precision and complexity of the scientific and pharmaceutical process.  The sculpture is inclusive in that people can enter the arena of the fragmented ring and become part of the work by sitting within.  Discrete markings include – the magic square from Durer’s Melancholia, an example of Leonardo Da Vinci’s mirror writing - images chosen by Novartis staff – the symbol for Carbon from the periodic table, a poem on the natures of art by Albert Einstein, and a Pyewipe bird, which is a symbol for the area.
Click to visit Michael Dan Archer’s website.