Lots of lines

In the middle of this roundabout in Radstock you can make out a sculpture of an NHS worker with face mask, stethoscope and Croc shoes – holding a heart. In the background you can also make out another sculpture with the words ‘Thank you NHS’. It might have been a pragmatic decision that was the force behind the style of sculpture- on a roundabout at a busy junction cars need good visibility. But the style reminded me of those sculptures by Michael Craig-Martin that I saw a few years back.

He transposed some of the ready-made subjects of his paintings into sculptural form. What is most unusual in sculpture is that line is the form. Where sculptures are usually 3-D, these line sculptures are 2-D. Where line might be a part of a relief sculpture, or etchings of detail in a larger piece, with Michael Craig-Martin line is the whole thing. Line enclosing space, outlining familiar everyday objects. But lines made of solid material that support their own shape. And like his paintings, he uses vibrant colours.

What can you do with the elements of art: line, colour, shape? You can make us pay attention! Whether to everyday objects and their interesting shape and forms, or to other often taken-for-granted aspects of life – people and their skills that serve us all.