AGITOS, RINGS AND MEDALS

Can art and sport hang together?

Agitos, Rings And Medals, 2019-2025
Marble and stainless steel
Unique work
H80 x W200 x D80cm (Paralympic pt1)
H70 x W200 x D70cm (Olympic pt2)
Dia30 x D3cm (medal pt3)
© Mark Humphrey

COLLECTOR
Olympic and Paralympic canoe teams

COLLABORATORS
Paralympics GB
Team GB
Paddle UK (British Canoeing)
National Water Sports Centre

LOCATION
Nottingham, UK

“AGITOS, RINGS AND MEDALS IS A LEGACY ARTWORK CREATED TO INSPIRE, UNITE AND PURSUE PERFORMANCE, REFLECTING THE PHILOSOPHY OF THE GB PARALYMPIC AND OLYMPIC CANOE TEAMS THROUGH POWER, STRENGTH AND FOCUS.

INSPIRED BY THE AGITOS SYMBOL AND OLYMPIC RINGS, THE TWO FORMS EXPLORE MOVEMENT THROUGH VORTEX AND TURBINE STRUCTURES. EACH MARBLE MEDAL CONNECTS TO THE NEXT, BOLT BY BOLT, FORMING THE BRANCHES OF THE AGITOS, WHILE PROPELLER-LIKE SPOKES GENERATE A SENSE OF POWER AND MOMENTUM. THE FIVE OLYMPIC RINGS SIMILARLY COME TOGETHER AS A SINGLE VORTEX OF ENERGY.

EACH MEDAL REPRESENTS AN INDIVIDUAL ATHLETE, COACH OR MEMBER OF THE TEAM, ACCOMPANIED BY A ROLL OF HONOUR RECOGNISING THOSE WHO HAVE CONTRIBUTED OVER THE YEARS. INDIVIDUALLY, EACH COMPONENT IS ONLY PART OF THE WHOLE; CONNECTED TOGETHER, THEY BECOME SOMETHING GREATER. THE ARTWORK BECOMES A PHYSICAL EXPRESSION OF THE BELIEF THAT THE STRENGTH OF A TEAM IS GREATER THAN THE SUM OF ITS INDIVIDUALS.

STONE BRINGS A HISTORICAL REFERENCE TO THE ORIGINS OF THE OLYMPIC GAMES, WHILE HIGH-GRADE MACHINED STAINLESS STEEL REFLECTS THE PRECISION OF MARINE ENGINEERING. THE MARBLE SCULPTURES FLOAT IN MID-AIR FROM BARS RESEMBLING CANOE PADDLES, GIVING THE FORMS A SENSE OF WEIGHTLESSNESS AND FORWARD MOMENTUM, LIKE PADDLERS MOVING ACROSS THE WATER.

ART AND SPORT SHARE A COMMON LANGUAGE – DISCIPLINE, CREATIVITY, FOCUS, RESILIENCE AND THE PURSUIT OF SOMETHING BEYOND THE INDIVIDUAL. CONNECTED MEDAL BY MEDAL, RING BY RING AND PERSON BY PERSON, THE WORK BECOMES A SYMBOL OF ONE TEAM, ONE PURPOSE AND ONE SHARED PURSUIT OF PERFORMANCE.”

Mark Humphrey

“THE ARTWORK IS A REPRESENTATION OF OUR TEAM CULTURE, WORK AND DEDICATION THAT UNDERPINS AND DELIVERS HIGH PERFORMANCE. THE ART IS AN INSPIRATIONAL AND CONSTANT REMINDER OF WHO WE ARE, WHAT HAS GONE BEFORE US, WHAT WE LEAVE AND WHAT WE ARE STRIVING FOR.”

Scott Simon, Head Coach
GB Paralympic Canoeing Team

“THIS ARTWORK REALLY SIGNIFIES THE UNITY OF OUR TEAM AND OUR PROJECT ETHOS. I LOVE THAT IT REPRESENTS THE IMPACT AND LEGACY OF EVERY MEMBER OF OUR TEAM AND THE CONTRIBUTION OF OUR SUPPORTERS TO OUR MISSION.”

Colin Radmore, Coach to multiple gold medalists 
GB Paralympic Canoeing Team

“HAVING WORKED WITH MARK BEFORE, I KNOW THE VISION AND ENERGY HE BRINGS TO HIS CREATIONS. USING ART AS A CULTURAL AND PERFORMANCE CATALYST IS A UNIQUE APPROACH, WHICH HAS THE POWER TO PROPEL GB PARACANOE TO EXCEPTIONAL SUCCESS IN TOKYO 2020.”

Nick Beighton, Paralympic bronze medalist
GB Paralympic Canoeing Team

“REALLY AWESOME TO SEE YOUR WORK AND MASSIVELY INSPIRING FOR THE TEAM. LOOKING FORWARD TO THE NEXT TIME.”

Scott Simon, Head Coach
GB Paralympic Canoeing Team

“IT’S BEEN INCREDIBLY EXCITING TO WORK WITH SUCH A TALENTED ARTIST AND DEVELOP A PIECE OF ART THAT IS NOT ONLY UNIQUE BUT HUGELY SIGNIFICANT TO US AS A TEAM. I BELIEVE THAT NO OTHER WORLD CLASS TEAM HAS DONE ANYTHING LIKE THIS AND THE PROCESS OF WORKING TOGETHER TO DESIGN AND BUILD THE PIECE WILL BE HUGELY BENEFICIAL TO US AND OUR PERFORMANCES.”

Emma Wiggs, Paralympic gold medalist and World Champion
GB Paralympic Canoeing Team

“YOU ARE PART OF THE STORY BUDDY.”

Scott Simon, Head Coach
GB Paralympic Canoeing Team