Generation by Joseph Hillier
Newcastle University is home to three head sculptures by Joseph Hillier, each symbolic of the three different eras of human and industrial production.
The artwork
Found in the Student Forum courtyard, Generation is an impressive group of three large sculptural human heads.
Rendered in bronze, Corten steel and stainless steel, the heads are reminiscent of three different eras of human and industrial production. The bronze head recalls early metalworking in the North of England. The Corten steel head – with a rust-like appearance – recalls later advances in industry, while the stainless-steel head – formed by a network of welded steel rods – resonates with the modern digital age.
The title of Generation also has multiple potential meanings: to generate, to grow and to build. The word also refers to all the people born and living at the same time, regarded as a collective. These meanings seem very apposite for their place in the university.
Discover more about the installation of Generation at Newcastle University, its home on campus.
The artist
Hillier was born in Cornwall in 1974. He began his studies at Falmouth College of Art, then achieved a place at Newcastle University. After graduation, Hillier held a Fine Art research post at Newcastle University for a number of years, while creating a series of exhibitions in the UK.
Hillier received the ‘Year of the Artist Award’ from the Arts Council of England in 2000. He also completed his earliest publicly sited projects during this year. In 2001, he won a scholarship and teaching role at Tulane University in New Orleans, where he completed an MFA and taught on the BA for a year.
It was while at Tulane University that Hillier crafted another collection of works entitled Being Human. The entire group of five large works were sold to a single corporate collection, while being shipped back to the UK.
This sale funded Hillier’s first studio in London, where Generation was initially installed. He held his first solo show in London at APT Gallery in 2005.
Hillier also completed a further installation for Newcastle University, entitled I think you imagine, I imagine you think, which is situated in our Business School.
