Hove seafront artwork to be replaced by new sculpture

Constellation, which has sat on Hove seafront since 2018, was removed yesterday and will make way for a new artwork depicting men bursting through a circular metal structure.

The new artwork, called Flight of the Langoustine and created by Pierre Diamantopoulo, is set to be erected on the seafront later this week to replace the existing piece.

Pierre said: “My work is resolutely restive and energetic, moved by a sense of the uncertain and the bizarre; always tinged with wry humour and never afraid to be elegant or beautiful.

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The opportunities for sculptors to engage in meaningful and well-placed public art are far and few between. The work that the Hove Civic Society has done to create the Hove Plinth as a conduit and focus for an even greater ambition, ‘Sculpture in our City’, has been a phenomenal undertaking and delivered against all odds.”

Pierre described the work as “an absurdist response to a profound sense of unrest” with faceless men diving through a metal structure.

The sculpture weighs over two tonnes and the four figures are made of bronze and jump through a steel ring.

The piece took over three years to make with each intricately detailed figure sculpted by and in a process taking 16 weeks each.

Flight of the Langoustine (Image: Pierre Diamantopoulo)

The art piece is being added to the seafront as part of the Hove Plinth project which sees rotating artworks featured by Hove Lawns.

Helmut Lusser, Chair of Hove Civic Society who created the plinth, said: “Cities need public art for all of us to enjoy.

“I am delighted that the Society for the second time has been able to contribute a major piece of public art to our city. Let this be the start of an open-air art gallery for all of us that live, visit and work in this wonderful city.”

Hove Plinth was first designed in 2018 and was inspired by the Trafalgar Square Fourth Plinth.

Constellations, created by Jonathan Wright, was seen being moved yesterday in preparation for the new artwork to take its place.

The previous sculpture will now move to a new home inland near Hove Museum.

Lydia Eustace, Marketing Director at Moda who supported the project, added: “Community is at the core of everything we do at Moda, so it has been a great pleasure to support such an incredible platform for art in Hove, ahead of the opening of our new neighbourhood. As a long-term neighbour to our surrounding communities, we are committed to creating spaces that are activated and encourage wellness and engagement.”

Flight of the Langoustine will be installed on Thursday, September 14 and will be officially unveiled in a public event on Sunday.

The previous artwork will move inland to a new plinth by Hove Museum.