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Alex Chinneck: The Latest Architecture and News

Artist Alex Chinneck Unzips Derelict 1960s Office Building to Create Mind-Bending Illusion

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UK-based artist Alex Chinneck has unveiled his latest architectural installation, transforming the walls of a soon-to-be-demolished 1960s office building on the former Kent Wool Growers site in Ashford, England. “Open to the Public” features an eight-meter-high double zip running down the side of the building, revealing the forlorn interior.

The double zip descending the short elevation is joined by a long single zip running the full length of the building, peeling back the walls and windows in a move inspired by the area’s history of textiles and fabric.

Artist Alex Chinneck Installs Ripped Brick Facade on London Building

Artist Alex Chinneck Installs Ripped Brick Facade on London Building - Image 3 of 4
© Faruk Pinjo

The work of artist Alex Chinneck is grounded in architecture. From melting buildings to a slumping facade to a structure ripped in half and hovering, Chinneck’s work plays with the expectation of materials and tectonics, resulting in captivating mind-bending illusions. His latest work (and first permanent sculpture), Six Pins and Half a Dozen Needles, continues this exploration, taking the form of a large brick wall ripped down the center.

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