Breathless
Sculptural Installation
2001 (made)
2001 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
'Breathless' is a work commissioned specially from the British artist Cornelia Parker for display in the new British Galleries. It was specifically designed to fill the oculus or open space newly created between the two floors of the Galleries in a corner. It is made of 54 defunct brass band instruments which have been squashed flat and hung from wires. They are designed to be seen from both above and below, with polished upper surfaces and tarnished undersides. the work is an attempt by the artist to explore such ideas of duality as silence/noise, upper class/lower class, and death/resurrection.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Parts | This object consists of 54 parts.
|
| Title | Breathless (assigned by artist) |
| Materials and techniques | Silver-plated brass wind instruments, flattened and suspended on stainless steel wire |
| Brief description | Sculpture Installation, 54 flattened silver-plated brass wind instruments, by Cornelia Parker, Britain, 2001 |
| Physical description | 54 flattened silver-plated brass wind instruments, arranged in circular formation and suspended on stainless steel wires. The instruments are (in inventory number order): 4 tubas, 2 euphoniums, 14 horns, 2 flugel horns, 8 trombones, 24 cornets. |
| Dimensions |
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| Object history | Accessioned by the Sculpture Section in 2005 at request of Records Section, following commissioning for British Galleries in 1999. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | 'Breathless' is a work commissioned specially from the British artist Cornelia Parker for display in the new British Galleries. It was specifically designed to fill the oculus or open space newly created between the two floors of the Galleries in a corner. It is made of 54 defunct brass band instruments which have been squashed flat and hung from wires. They are designed to be seen from both above and below, with polished upper surfaces and tarnished undersides. the work is an attempt by the artist to explore such ideas of duality as silence/noise, upper class/lower class, and death/resurrection. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | A.6:1 to 54-2005 |
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| Record created | May 17, 2005 |
| Record URL |
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