Birmingham Hippodrome and Pangaea Sculptor’s Centre have announced Rachael Champion as the winner of the Hippodrome 120 Sculpture Commission.
The final sculpture will be unveiled in October, as part of the month long celebrations for the Hippodrome’s 120th birthday.
Rachael Champion’s work primarily manifests as site-specific installations and architectural sculptures that respond to places and their histories through contextually relevant forms and materials. For the special one-off commission, Champion will suspend organic forms adorned with architectural imagery to highlight the fascinating textures of the city of Birmingham and to reference the theatre’s many architectural and facade transformations over its lifetime.
“It is an honour to have been selected for the Hippodrome 120 Commission. The context is particularly special as I have been working in technical theatre to support my sculpture practice for many years. I am so excited to get to know Birmingham and its architecture to realise ‘Tower of Varieties’” said Rachael of the award.
The sculpture commission is part of the venue’s wider visual arts programme. From September a new ‘Hidden Stories’ season of exhibitions will launch, with highlights including ‘Pre-Windrush to the Present Day: A History of Black Performance on Stage at Birmingham Hippodrome’ in collaboration with Blackstory Partnership.
