Celebrate the creators, the artisans and the beauty of what's around us

At Timeless our vision is to make everyday objects beautiful with our shaped tubing — staircases and railings can be elegant and even stunning if you make them from the right materials. Occasionally we are lucky enough to be asked to shape our tubes for artistic commissions – for artwork that is not functional or ‘everyday’. It is for work that is there to be looked at.

One such artistic project is based not too far from where the Timeless workshop is (we’re based in Poole, and the sculpture is in the neighbouring town of Bournemouth – just close to the seafront at Boscombe). The sculpture by Dorset artist Andy Kirkby is one in a series of sculptures inspired by Jules Verne’s Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea. The 3-metre high helmeted octopus features our twisted square tube made from cupronickel 90/10.

The commission is ten years old now, so this post is not to announce a brand new piece that we have been a part of. I don’t suppose anyone is unveiling new work right now anyway. Not long before lockdown I managed to visit the sculpture. I felt proud that Timeless played a little part in creating something that people love to look at.

So today, while we are still in this period of lockdown, I want to thank all the artists out there who have been continuing to make work at this turbulent time – many of them not knowing when they will now get their next commission. I want to celebrate the metal architects, who skilfully bend and fix metal into aesthetically pleasing structures. And to all the designers who think beyond the immediate and the obvious in the pursuit of creating something more pleasing to look at, while still remaining fit for purpose.

If you are lucky enough to live near any public art, I urge you to stop to appreciate it over the next week or so. While the museums and galleries remain closed to the public, perhaps it is time to look around us and observe the statues and sculptures in our parks and town squares (and in the case of the tubular octopus, on a street corner by the beach). Failing that, may you find beauty in everyday design and architecture; it is definitely out there if you search for it.

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