Blue for Bob — The Bob Willis Fund
I was commissioned by the Bob Willis Fund to design an installation for their annual #BlueforBob Day, held during a Test match at Edgbaston, Bob's old home ground.
For 2023, #BlueforBob Day fell during the Ashes series, with the Fund backed by both Edgbaston and Sky.
The brief had three jobs to do at once: raise awareness of prostate cancer, the disease Bob died from; work as a live fundraiser; and give the crowd something to actually take part in.
My proposal centred on a giant "rollerball." Members of the crowd could sponsor a blue, cricket-ball-sized ball, which would then emerge from behind the main sculpture and roll around a network of rails, gradually filling the artwork with blue over the course of the match. Sky also needed a way to keep the installation engaging during rain delays, so the slow, visible fill was designed with that in mind too.
Early development sketches, working out the ball's texture, the delivery mechanism, and how the fill would be tracked.
Front view, showing the fill in progress.
Plan view, showing the rail path from the sponsor point to the sculpture.
Dimensions: H400cm x W400cm
Materials: Aluminium, stainless steel, foam, and synthetic practice cricket balls
Date: Spring 2023