John Atkin

Landing Gear takes its name from a number of sketchbook studies I have made of artefacts from the Science Museum in London.  This rich source of information has been an interesting place for me to extend my interest in the ‘Found Object” tradition of Modern & Contemporary Art Practice, into fields that encompass notions of heritage and culture. The found object in this instance being a museum artefact combined with studies of disused aircraft at airfields in the South of England.

Landing Gear is based on two main forms: the stern casting from a late nineteenth-century sailing vessel, and the landing gear associated with early twentieth-century aircraft such as Sopwith Camels and Sopwith Pups.

The confluence of this imagery celebrates nations of travel and exploration: by sea and by air.  At the same time, it acknowledges human ingenuity through developments in flight and maritime engineering.  This also references ideas of trade and global communication.

The Royal British Society of Sculptors in London commissioned the sculpture, for a temporary exhibition at their offices in South Kensington and the sculpture has been included in other exhibitions throughout the UK including Cartwight Hall, Bradford.