Voted best of 2013 on Juxtapoz
It may be a tad hard to see what is going on here, but look closely. Artist/scientist Jonty Hurwitz creates what appear to be ordinary abstract sculptures, but when viewed in a cylinder, reflective surface, the sculpture takes on the appearance of a figurative shape. Hurwtiz won the 2009 Noble Sculpture Prize.
London's Savoy Hotel Artist In Residence
Hurwitz, who is currently the Savoy's artist in residence has created the latest in his Generation Pi series of anamorphic sculptures, which were launched at the Kinetic art fair in February 2013. Hurwitz explores the boundary between illusion and reality, which he describes as increasingly blurred. The works are contemporary trompe l’oeil; at first glance appearing abstract, but in mirrored reflections, representational. The series is a study on the physics of how the human brain perceives space based on Einstein’s theory E=mc2 (energy, mass and the speed of light). Each sculpture in the series is an object that could only be created by the technology of today, as over 1 billion mathematical calculations and algorithms are used in its creation.
His latest work, ‘The 14th Guest’ is inspired by the notorious story of a dinner for fourteen hosted by South African diamond magnate Woolf Joel at The Savoy in 1898. When one guest pulled out at the last minute, another superstitious guest predicted that death would come to the first person to leave the unlucky table of thirteen. Joel himself was the first to leave and a few weeks later was shot dead in Johannesburg. Subsequently a member of the Savoy staff was offered to join tables of thirteen to ward off superstition. However, in 1927 British designer Basil Ionides came up with the idea of creating a two foot high sculpture of a black cat called Kaspar who would join parties of thirteen with a place set for him and a napkin placed around his neck. Winston Churchill was so taken by Kaspar that he insisted the cat join him at every gathering at The Savoy, regardless of numbers. Hurwitz work successfully continues this modern fable by creating an anamorphic sculpture of Kaspar which is the centrepiece of this stylish new restaurant.
“Source: Artlyst”
Pastry Live 2013 - National Showpiece Championship Winners
Pastry Live is proud to announce Team Maura Metheny and Dan Forgey of Norman Love Confections as this year's National Showpiece Champions. Team Metheny's chocolate showpiece, titled "The Hurwitz Hypnotist," was favored for its overall visual aesthetic and the originality of its design. Drawing their inspiration from the sculptures of Jonty Hurwitz and renowned illusionists Harry Houdini and David Copperfield, the duo set out to captivate viewers, engaging them through the illusion created by their design. Staying true to their muses, they transformed chocolate into a show based on perspective, with various aspects appearing, separating and coming together based on the angle it was viewed from.
Along with earning the title and a cash prize of $5,000, the team was also awarded Best Chocolate Showpiece for their innovative design portraying this year's theme of "The Art of Illusion."
Seven teams of two chefs competed on August 27th over the course of seven hours, constructing showpieces utilizing a unique trio of pedestal bases, encouraging an entirely new range of showpiece design.
Illusion at the Science Gallery, Dublin
Join the Dublin Science Gallery as we say the magic word and pull back the curtain to reveal ILLUSION, our brand new brain-melting, mind-bending exhibition exploring the neuroscience of magic. Exploring sensory deception, ILLUSION investigates how perception underpins everything we see, feel, think and do.
Curated by author of best selling books like Quirkology and 59 Seconds and Britain's only Professor of the Public Understanding of Psychology Richard Wiseman, ILLUSION promises to be a perception-shattering insight into the human mind, combining magic with psychology, optical illusions with scientific reasoning, and confusion with clarity.
Featuring: "Hurwitz Singularity" by sculptor Jonty Hurwitz
Dates: 11.07.13 – 29.09.13
Voted #1 for portraiture in Art of England
Sally Perry from Go Figurative chooses six of the best portrait artist for the publication Art of England.
Jonty Hurwitz, the entrepreneur and artist, is interested in the relative powers of computers and the human brain. He expresses his interest through Generation Pi, a series of mathematically generated sculptures.
Evening Standard Debate: Art vs Science
A group of leading thinkers in art and science come together at the Google headquarters in London to talk about the influence of art and culture in London.
The Panelists
Lord Browne of Madingley, Tate Chairman and former BP Cheif
Munira Mirza, Deputy mayor for education and culture
Lily Cole, Actress and philanthropic entrepreneur
Rohan Silva, Government technology adviser
Jonty Hurwitz, Wonga co-founder and sculptor
Leonie Frieda, Historian and former model
Click here for press on the event
Gofigurate Gallery solo show Jonty Hurwitz
7th - 31st March 2013 at 318 Old Street, London
A collection of the anamorphic works by artist and scientist Jonty Hurwitz
Monolith Magazine Interview
Titanic Literature
Welcome to the centrefold of Oscillator. This is an interview with the artist Jonty Hurwitz. Jonty’s anamorphic sculptures went viral within minutes. I simply had to find out the secret to the introspective and astonishing work. This led me to something else entirely…
Art critic Estelle Lovatt interviews Jonty Hurwitz
Imagine this. You stare at an abstract piece of sculpture without a clue as to its meaning, only what you perceive. But, hold this item up to a complementing curved mirror - unfolds a recognisable image of a man. - Estelle Lovatt.
Click to read the full article...
Winner of the 2009 Noble Sculpture Prize
The 2009 Noble Sculpture Prize was awarded to Jonty Hurwitz for 'Behind Me'.
'Behind Me' consists of a life-size sculpture of a man or, rather, a series of cross-sections of a man glazed onto a number of sheets of structural glass.
From the front and back we see the changing, three-dimensional shape of man much as we see the geographical contours of hills in an ordnance survey map. The resonance of such features in Colletta's hilly landscape is profound: the work of art echoes and is in perfect harmony with the topography it resides in.
Viewing this sculpture from the sides, the man almost magically disappears: we see through the glass and the spaces either side of the individual sheets of glass to the trees that surround the glade the sculpture stands in. Man as geography and man in landscape is visible and then invisible depending on your point of view.
Jonty's inspiration for the sculpture is closer to home. 'Behind Me' represents the way a child perceives parental support. As you move around the piece, you are presented with different images of a father figure, from present and solid on occasions to ephemeral and absent altogether on others, reflecting those times when even the most supportive parent is not there and one learns to be alone.
'Behind Me' is ground-breaking from a technical perspective. Jonty's father was scanned from head to toe at a resolution of 300 microns and the images were then 'compressed' into 12 slices. Jonty then worked with leading glass manufacturers and engineers to devise a means of glazing the resulting 'slices' onto huge glass sheets with millimetre precision.
Besides the immediate aesthetic appeal of 'Behind Me', this exploitation of technology for artistic reasons was a major quality that attracted the Bernard Noble Sculpture Foundation's jurors to Jonty's work: 'Behind Me' seemed very appropriate for a 'borgo telematico', a beautiful medieval village that prides itself on its blend of 'traditional' beauty with the latest in modern home comforts and communication technology.
Jonty is clearly an unconventional artist: he took an engineering degree in Johannesburg before moving to the UK where he combined entrepreneurial careers in research, asset management, animation and internet banking with a profound interest in the creative arts.
This fusion of art and science brought Jonty early recognition: his awards include the British Interactive Media Association Award \(1998\), the International Visual Communications Association Award \(1999\), the Bentliff Art Prize, People's Choice Award \(2008\) and the Interactive Media Award for Outstanding Achievement \(2009\).
Winner of the Bentliff Art Prize
An unusual sculpture is this year's winner of the Bentlif Art Prize. Yoda and the Anamorph, by Jonty Hurwitz, was the overwhelming People's Choice winner.
The Bentlif Art Prize is a bi-annual art exhibition held at Maidstone Museum.
Jonty’s sculpture won the huge majority of the votes.