As part of the redevelopment of the Birmingham Hippodrome Modus Operandi was appointed to advise on the commission of new site-specific artworks. Liz Rideal was commissioned to produce two pieces: the glass flanking wall forming one elevation of the theatre, and a long linear glass chandelier to inhabit the aerial space of the stairwell in the main foyer.
The chandelier, Light Column, functions as a visual glass conduit between the architectural levels of the theatre building. Made of sixteen interconnecting glass boxes totalling 11 metres in height with eight mirrored panels, the chandelier filters and reflects light, drawing in the 500,000 people who visit the Hippodrome each year. In situ from 2005, the chandelier was decommissioned in 2019.
An independent yet interconnected work, the glass flanking theatre wall, Glass Drapes, reflects and echoes the column of light in its translucent form. The pattern reproduced on the theatre's windows uses drapery as its subject, rendering the glass curtains part of the performances that take place within the theatre.
This project was part of the Birmingham Hippodrome Art Programme curated by Modus Operandi.
