Nick Sayers

Statement

I make polyhedral sculptures, lighting and shelters from recycled, reused and repurposed materials. My work explores the beauty of maths and the creative possibilities of recycling. Unlike much mathematical art that is purely abstract, I use recognisable household objects to make work that is accessible, real and fun. I hope by extension to make maths and geometry tangible to a lay audience. My largest work to date is Show Home, a 4-metre geodesic shelter made from 135 estate agent signs. I've also made smaller versions: To Live (a 2.4m pod) and To Play (a 1.2m playhouse). I'm currently working on the design for a hyperbolic shelter to be built with over 1,000 metre rulers. I hope to find a school to commission it for their outdoor space. I've been inspired mathematically by Magnus Wenninger, Stewart Coffin and Buckminster Fuller; and artistically by land artists Andy Goldsworthy, Richard Long and Jan Dibbets.

Artworks

1.5-metre sphere of 120 individual schoolchildren's silhouettes, made as a public art commission for Stourfield School in Bournemouth, UK. The pieces were machine-cut from recycled plastic board and bolted together. The artwork acts both as a static sculpture for the school's Outdoor Classroom, and as a play ball that children can roll around and get inside.

4 metre diameter, 3 metre high geodesic shelter built from 135 estate agent (realtor) For Sale and To Let boards. The outer shell is bolted together with the plastic bolts normally used to erect signs. It is reinforced inside by an icosahedral framework of 25 wooden signposts. The piece makes a statement about homelessness, the housing market and sustainable architecture.

1.2-metre bulging dodecahedral "cactus" woven from 630 wooden coffee stirrers, pinned together with 1,260 cocktail sticks. The underlying pentagon-hexagon-heptagon pattern forms distinctive "monkey saddle" hyperbolic surfaces all around.