“Local artist Julian Warren unveils ‘The Pod’ for Peter Hargreaves: a multiverse-inspired sculpture blending growth, eggs, and cosmic whimsy.”
I’m thrilled to share my latest sculpture, "The Pod", recently completed for Bristol's very own Peter Hargreaves at his new £20M Harbourside headquarters. When Peter asked me for ideas, he probably didn't expect a journey into the multiverse!
The Pod is all about growth on a grand scale. Using Mandelbrot’s equations as a blueprint for evolution, the piece acts as a "universal generator", creating infinite variation from the same building blocks. The Pod itself is part of this multiverse, inevitably creating itself, closing an infinite loop - and finally, making the old chicken-or-egg question irrelevant.
The stainless steel root resembles a chicken's foot, while the Pod itself represents the egg, a cheeky nod to timeless paradoxes. I've always loved a good laugh and those 1950s "They Came From Space" movies, so there's a bit of whimsy woven in too.
The sculpture is named "Endurance", after Shackleton's legendary ship, with the "Ark Class A42" nodding to Douglas Adams’ Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. And like me, the Pod is fuelled by nothing but hope - and Pi.
It's been a joy bringing a little humor, science, and cosmic curiosity to Bristol Harbourside.