This striking art installation is a message of warning and hope, to communities across the world – including leaders gathering at COP26* - to reach for lifelines and to act now against the intensifying threat of climate change.

"Sinking House" is a collaborative floating artwork where artist Anna Gillespie has joined forces with architectural practice Stride Treglown, Format Engineers and Fifield Moss Carpentry to produce a compelling visualisation of the plight of humanity in our changing world. As sea levels rise and rivers overflow, the rooftop is a metaphor of our last sanctuary.

Located on Pulteney Weir in Bath, a figure sits on the chimney, clinging to a lifeline that reads “COP26”. This perilous situation represents the dangerous position we have put ourselves in and the need for immediate action to mitigate the more extreme consequences.

 

Considerable public interest

Images of the installation have been shared around the world and featured in as unlikely places as the China Daily. It has certainly captured our imagination with people referencing a Monopoly hotel and its symbolism of corporate greed. Greta Thunberg's House on Fire speech was never more prescient.

The human-like figure, sculpted by Gillespie is made from a metal armature and originally sculpted from masking tape. Gillespie has exhibited internationally and exhibited at Glastonbury and Chelsea Flower Show. Her exquisite work has created considerable public interest with recent prestigious public commissions at Half Moon Bay in Morecambe Bay, titled “Ship” and the “Maid of the Bridge” in Bath.

As Gillespie’s representative, Artzu is pleased to support this ecological artwork that binds the ideals of community and environmental well-being through haunting depictions of our relationship with nature.

Discover more of Gillespie’s moving sculpture here.

artzuBulletin | Issue 001