The Kissing Bridge (Edition 2/3)
| Browse information by: Location Makers General Information Classification Object Parts Object Condition History References Photographs |  Author: Anthony McIntosh Copyright for Photograph: Creative Commons |
Location
| Street: | New England Road |
| Town: | Brighton |
| Parish: | Brighton |
| Council: | Brighton & Hove City Council |
| County: | East Sussex |
| Postcode: | BN1 |
| Location on Google Map | |
| Object setting: | Outside building |
| and in: | Garden |
| Access is: | Public |
| Location note: | On Circus Parade, outside Vantage Point |
| In the AZ book: | East Sussex |
| Page: | 162 |
| Grid reference: | E3 |
| The A-Z books used are A-Z East Sussex and A-Z West Sussex (Editions 1A 2005). Geographers' A-Z Map Company Ltd. Sevenoaks. | |
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Makers
| Name : | Nigel Boonham |
| Role: | Sculptor |
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General Information
| Commissioned by: | Purchased by Renison Investments Corporation (Vantage Point developers) |
| Construction period: | 1981 |
| Unveiling date: | 09/09/1998 |
| Work is: | Extant |
| Owner custodian: | Vantage Point, Brighton. |
| Object listing: | Not listed |
| Description: | Faces north towards New England Road and is set in a gardened area surrounded by shops and offices. Two figures, male (west) and female (east), leaning forward to form an arch, kissing at the point of the arch keystone. The statues stand on two concrete bases. |
| Signatures: | Integral bronze base of male figure, facing west:
Boonham 1982 2/3 Integral bronze base of male figure, facing west, bottom right: BURLEIFIELD |
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Classification
| Categories: | Sculptural, Free Standing |
| Object type1: | Sculpture |
| Subject type1: | Figurative |
| Subject subtype1: | Full-length |
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Object Parts
| Part 1: | Bases |
| Material: | Concrete |
| Height (cm): | 95 |
| Width (cm): | 70 |
| Depth (cm): | 50 |
| Part 2: | Whole structure |
| Material: | Concrete and bronze |
| Height (cm): | 215 |
| Width (cm): | 380 |
| Depth (cm): | 50 |
| Part 3: | Statues (each) |
| Material: | Bronze |
| Height (cm): | 120 |
| Width (cm): | 170 |
| Depth (cm): | 40 |
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Object Condition
| Overall condition: | Good |
| Risk assessment: | No known risk |
| Condition 1 of type: | Surface |
| Condition 1: | Biological growth |
| Condition 2: | Metallic staining |
| More details: | Biological growth to both bases, also stained underneath the two bronze statues. |
| Condition 2 of type: | Vandalism |
| Condition 1: | Graffiti |
| More details: | Painted graffiti to the base of the male statue facing the road, also to its face, away from the road. |
| Date of on-site inspection: | 22/01/2008 |
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History
| History: | Unveiled by HRH The Duke of Gloucester.
Nigel Boonham supervised the completion of the statue of Nelson Mandela that was unveiled in Parliament Square in London in 2007. The sculptor, Ian Walters had completed the clay model of the statue just before his death and chose Nigel Boonham to supervise its completion. The idea of placing a statue to honour Nelson Mandela in a prominent place in London was initiated by Donald Woods, the journalist and anti-apartheid activist in South Africa, who died in 2001. Woods chose Ian Walters to undertake the work, because of his sculpture of Mandela on the South Bank and his links with the anti-apartheid movement. Walters began the clay bust in 2001 when he travelled to Mandela's home in South Africa, where the statesman sat for him for a total of nine hours. (Greater London Council) The founder's mark, BURLEIFIELD, relates to the Morris Singer foundry. Morris Singer Art Founders is a new name in casting, following the merger of the old established companies of Burleighfield Arts, originally in High Wycombe, and Nautilus Fine Art and the recent acquisition of the Morris Singer name. The business is located in a modern facility at Braintree in Essex . The first bronze cast was bought in 1994 for a private house in East Ilsley, Berkshire and has since returned temporarily to the artist's studio on the sale of the house. It is occasionally temporarily exhibited elsewhere such as Chichester Cathedral. (Sculptor) |
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References
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Photographs
Author: Anthony McIntosh Copyright: Creative Commons |  Author: Anthony McIntosh Copyright: Creative Commons |
 Author: Anthony McIntosh Copyright: Creative Commons |  Author: Anthony McIntosh Copyright: Creative Commons |
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