- Year
- 2018
- Client
- St John's Innovation Park
overview
Hatch sits on the grounds of St John’s Innovation Centre in Cambridge, home to some of the UK’s most innovative research-based companies.
Commissioned to celebrate the life and achievements of local-born computer scientist Maurice Wilkes, this impressive steel sculpture is made up of three shell-like segments. Standing 2.5 meters tall, the egg-like form is covered with dissipating markings inspired by binary code, the language of computers. The cutout motif combined with a matte black interior causes the sculpture to appear to glow when viewed from within, a direct reference to the creative and innovative mindset of the people that work at St John’s.
Sir Maurice Wilkes was an integral and significant figure in British computer science. He is the commemorated figure in this building and art installation. Maurice Wilkes is recognised and awarded for his accomplishments by the honours of Knight Bachelor, Distinguished Fellow of the British Computer Society, Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering and Fellow of the Royal Society.
The building dedicated to Maurice Wilkes signifies the exponential growth of the computer and technology industries in which he played an essential part. Hatch is a sculptural art intervention in the grounds of the Maurice Wilkes Building. It references the incubation and cultivation of new businesses within the innovation park. The cracked egg represents the birth of these new ventures into the world.
binary code translation
a closer look
Hatch is comprised of three large steel segments that when brought together create a fully formed 2.5 metre tall steel egg.
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