Like most people I have short and long term aspirations including designing my own home. I’ve always been fascinated by contemporary and heritage architecture. In the UK I renovated several historical properties and even got editorial coverage in home interior magazines. Fast forward several years and I have been very fortunate to write several books about architecture. The latest edition called ‘Concrete Homes’ feature some of the world’s most exclusive residential houses. This composite has become exceptionally popular in construction and has even infiltrated into the world of luxury lifestyle. That’s why I was fascinated to discover artist Ben Young (trading under the name Broken Liquid) is created some extraordinary sculptures from this material.
Interestingly Ben Young is a self-taught artist who has been creating phenomenal sculptures for over 15-years. Even though Ben resides in Mount Maunganui, New Zealand he has gained a solid international reputation. In fact he has had successful sell out solo shows in New York, Auckland and Singapore. I was privileged to see one of his smaller works and am hugely impressed with the overall quality.
Recently I completed a second edition of my highly successful ‘Luxury Design for Living’ book. As well as featuring exclusive homes, cars and watches I also wanted to include some unique lifestyle products. I felt Ben Young’s 2020 sculpture ‘Where The Wind Blows’ was a perfect candidate. This artwork has been meticulously crafted from laminated float glass, cast concrete, bronze and has stainless steel frame. This work creates the illusion of a suspended mountain scape submersed in water. I personally feel this amazing art piece would perfectly the compliment the living room of any architectural home.
I had several conversations with Ben Young about this piece. However, in this instance the artists words perfectly describe the true essence. “At some point, our ancestors left the water. They left it for long enough to discard their gills and develop lungs, rid themselves of flippers and exchange them for hands. But while we may never be able to fully return, we never really left the water behind. For millennia we have stayed by its side, as much out of biological necessity as for emotional fulfillment. We have skirted the far reaches of its edges, living on its bounty, and at times, tragically falling in the face of its power”.