Title: The Chilton Athenaeum
Material: Ardley limestone, ipe wood and galvanised Steel
Approx size: 2ox 10 x 1.8 Metres
Location: Chilton, Oxfordshire, Uk
Date: 2020
The Chilton Athenaeum.
As Lockdown One ended, Tim was asked to finally install his artwork on Chilton fields, Oxfordshire. Tim originally won this commission in 2014. Due to the determination of the local community the project finally got the go ahead on the 2nd of June 2020.
Tim worked with “Sawscapes” to deliver the installation. Which includes over 100 tons of local Limestone placed into bespoke steel cages, topped with timber, surrounded by excavated soil with grass. The design is inspired by its proximity to the Ridgeway (Britain’s oldest road), which connects some of our most significant Ancient Earthworks, and the Harwell Diamond synchrotron, one of the most modern science facilities in the UK, a synergy of old and new.
The original hope that this sculptural seating/performance area may help to bring the 2 sides of Chilton together (the original medieval village and the newly built village separated by the A34), has now been realised, as without the continued support of local people from both sides of the Village, this project would not have come to fruition.