London-based practice Sam Jacob Studio, led by a former partner of FAT, have installed a 1:1 replica of a standing sarsen stone from the Avebury stone circle in the centre of the British New Town of Milton Keynes. The 'MK Menhir', situated on a Porte Cochère on the city's Midsummer Boulevard, has been (CNC) milled from hard-coated foam using data from a 3D scan of the original stone. It has been given an iridescent tint using techniques similar to those used to spray paint a car.
"It's form recalls the oldest human landscapes of Britain, while its iridescent finish suggests the contemporary language of custom car design," say the designers. "Form and finish create an object that is both ancient and modern." Furthermore, "the sculpture has a close relationship to the history and culture of Milton Keynes’ design, making explicit the deep relationship to myths of the English landscape and the British rose-tinted love of Los Angeles that underwrote the original concept for the 1970’s New Town."
According to English Heritage, Avebury henge and stone circles "are one of the greatest marvels of prehistoric Britain." First erected and reformed during the Neolithic period (somewhere between 2850BC and 2200BC), "the henge survives as a huge circular bank and ditch." Within the henge itself "is the largest stone circle in Britain."
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The installation is part of an ongoing series of Port Cochère public art projects which have been commissioned by Milton Keynes City Council and MK Gallery.
