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World War 1 light Installation wins international SURFACE DESIGN AWARD 2015

At an awards ceremony in the Business Design Centre in Islington on 12 February, Box 459 – a Winchester light installation situated outside Abbey House commemorating WW1 – won the Temporary Structure category of the SURFACE DESIGN AWARDS 2015.

181 businesses entered the awards from around the world. Box 459 was shortlisted in the Temporary Structure category and the winning commissioned artwork created by AR Design Studio in Winchester joined other projects including Kew House – an innovative domestic home in London - and the Giovanni XXIII Chapel in Italy.

Box 459, commissioned by Winchester City Council as part of the Imperial War Museum’s LIGHTS OUT event this summer, was created by local architect Andy Ramus at AR Design Studio to mark the impact of the outbreak of World War One upon Wintonians. It is a steel light installation inspired by the 1921 inscription on Winchester Cathedral’s war memorial that recorded 459 fallen soldiers from the city area as defined during that period of governance. Box 459’s dimensions mark Armistice Day – it is a 1100mm engineered steel cube. An internal light source projects powerful shafts of light through 459 apertures representing the city’s lost generation from this era of history. A further 43 apertures have coloured filters – these represent the fallen soldiers of Winchester District’s 43 parishes.

Andy Ramus, Managing Director of AR Design Studio, said:
We were delighted to receive an international plaudit for Box 459 and are looking forward to seeing it in various locations across the Winchester district leading up to 2018. The response from members of the public who have seen the installation in its current location outside Abbey House, or witnessed its unveiling at Winchester Cathedral in the summer has been overwhelmingly positive. This recognition from the international architectural community is a great honour and we are very grateful to Winchester City Council for this opportunity to work on a project that illustrates the power of a simple idea – an object that transforms from war artefact to an illuminated focal point for reflection and remembrance as night falls.

Ellen Simpson, Head of Tourism at Winchester City Council, who commissioned the sculptural installation, said:

In Box 459 Andy Ramus of AR Design Studio has created a thought-provoking artwork that offers our community the opportunity to reflect on the impacts of WW1 upon society. The quality of the design has now received international recognition which serves to underline the talent that we have here in the creative sector in Winchester. Winchester City Council would like to congratulate Andy and his team on their well-deserved win.
 

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