Manual Ref* SUipIP125 Show 7 images 1129
Title*

Question Mark
County Suffolk   District Council Ipswich Borough Council 
Civil Parish or equivalent Ipswich  Town/Village* Ipswich - Waterfront 
Road Waterfront 
Precise Location Outside the curved Waterfront building by architects RMJM, opened in late 2008. 
OS Grid Ref TM170440  Postcode IP3 
Previous location(s)  
Setting Waterfront  Access Public 
Artist/Maker Role Qualifier
Langlands and Bell  Sculptor(s)   

Commissioned by

 University Campus Suffolk ; with £100,000 from the university and grants of £75,000, from the Arts Council England, and £25,000, from Ipswich Borough Council. 

Design & Constrn period

 Construction 2011 

Date of installing

  

Exact date of unveiling

 24 November 2011 

Category
Abstract Animal Architectural
Commercial Commemorative Composite
Free Functional Funerary
Heraldic Military Natural
Non-Commemorative Performance Portable
Religious Roadside, Wayside Sculptural
Temporary, Mobile Other  

Object Type
Building Clock Tower Architectural
Coat of Arms Cross Fountain
Landscape Marker Medallion
Mural Panel Readymade
Relief Shaft Sculpture
Statue Street Furniture War Memorial
Other Object Sub Type:

Subject Type
Allegorical Mythological Pictorial
Figurative Non-figurative Portrait
Still-life Symbolic Other

Subject Sub Type
Bust Equestrian Full-length
Group Head Reclining
Seated Standing Torso
Part Material Dimension
Question Mark  White marble and black granite, with associated LEDs  4m l 
Dot  White marble and black granite  128cm diameter 

Work is
Extant Not Sited Lost

Owner/Custodian

 University Campus Suffolk 

Listing status
Grade I Grade II* Grade II Don't Know Not Listed

Surface Condition
Corrosion, Deterioration Accretions
Bird Guano Abrasions, cracks, splits
Biological growth Spalling, crumbling
Metallic staining Previous treatments
Other  
Detail:

Structural Condition
Armature exposed Broken or missing parts
Replaced parts Loose elements
Cracks, splits, breaks, holes Spalling, crumbling
Water collection Other
Detail:

Vandalism
Graffiti Structural damage Surface Damage
Detail: Already some small vandalism, but it is cleaned regularly

Overall condition
Good Fair Poor

Risk
No Known Risk At Risk Immediate
Signatures/Marks  
Inscriptions  

Description (physical)

 The giant question mark rests elegantly above the ground; one side is white the other black to underline its questioning role, and is reflected in the glass ground floor of the new campus building reflects. It is set with the curve pointing to the thriving marina at an angle which helps make the link to the second part, the LED on the top of a tall chimney on the northern campus, just off Long Street. This is now approached through the staff car park, lined with trees offering views back to the question mark and marina. The approach to the chimney has been tidied and it now stands just behind a small garden planted with trees. The second part is a , which spells out QUESTION ? to "link conceptually and visually with the sculpture". 

Description (iconographical)

 As so often with modern sculpture there were vociferous complaints in the local press about the cost, defended by Chrissie Harrington, head of the School of Arts and Humanities, who said: "It's something we had to do. We didn't have a choice to say 'we've decided not to' - it's something Ipswich insisted on." Ms Harrington said UCS's contribution of just under £100,000 towards the project was put aside in 2006 as part of the waterfront development. She continued 'We are a university and we are about questioning, interrogating, questioning - we are curious. The question mark is about us looking to the future as a university... we're really privileged to have this.'  

Photographs

 Date taken:  21/4/2012
Date logged: 

Photographed by:
Sarah Cocke

On Site Inspection

 Date:  21/4/2012

Inspected by:
Richard Cocke

Sources and References

 EADT 25 November 2011, accessed 27/11/2011 

Database

 Date entered:  22/4/2012

Data inputter:
Richard Cocke