Zenith

The movement of line through space is the motivating force behind the work of sculptor Ray Haydon. His works are rhythmic, improvisational and free, expressing a sense of effortlessness and vitality that belies their often immense physical presence.

Haydon’s most recent work explores the ideas of motion and transformation; whether spiralling rings of mahogany or interstitially composed strips of copper, these pieces draw the eye along a rhythmic path with no fixed start or end point, establishing a sense of momentum.  Free-standing Flux works are similarly rhythmic and repetitive, but also invite the viewer to engage with the piece by moving around it. 

Presenting increasingly complex and dynamic forms, the artist’s new work continues to be keenly influenced by the natural environment, developing these forms in organic and asymmetrical ways.

Zenith, a new work in Corten weathering steel extends Haydon’s style in a new direction, offering a more architecturally active composition. Pointed steel lances are fused together in a somewhat chaotic yet balanced composition, which creates a sense of motion in multiple directions, rather than the suggestion of controlled movement. 

Haydon employs an experimental process in the creation of new works, piecing together forms in response to imagined shapes and compositions. Unlike many sculptors, drawing does not play a role in the composition of the works; Haydon proceeds directly from his conception of the form to three-dimensional modelling. Haydon’s attention is generally focused not on preliminary refinements to his aesthetic choices but on the problems of engineering raised by the new designs.

Haydon is not a formally trained artist, having instead gained a vast repository of technical skills through decades of work in various areas of industrial design. This background has also provided him with the expertise to produce entirely new methods of fabrication, developing new machines and techniques to enable him to produce his work exactly as he imagines it. This process, coupled with Haydon’s unwillingness to compromise artistic vision for the sake of convenience, has allowed him to produce increasingly innovative works.

Haydon’s new work reveals his enduring interest in the evocative properties of line in three-dimensional sculpture, perfected over his career of constant experimentation. His dedication to the physical engineering of his concepts has allowed the artist to create consistently innovative, rhythmic works that enliven, rather than overpower, space.