David Breuer-Weil’s monumental four-part bronze Emergence rose from Hanover Square in 2012.

The figures are deliberately sculpted in a craggy manner to resemble rough rock, suggesting the origins of Adam from the earth. The juxtaposition of the figures’ rough and smooth surfaces allude to the sculpting process that humans go through in their evolution, whether in this life or the next. Across the bodies, marks, drawings and scribblings attest to the scars and lessons received and learnt during life.

Emergence was exhibited as part of City of Sculpture, the City of Westminster’s programme of temporary sculptural installations. This location was contextually fitting for such a work. Breuer-Weil says that ‘Hanover Square is a place of daily refuge for hundreds of people working in London. I often used to escape there to steal a few moments of thought during the tension of a working day. The three hundred year old square is an ideal place to install a sculpture that deals with themes of humanity, in this case the emergence of mankind from its origins. Emergence is about timeless, even primeval, themes of birth, evolution and the origins of man. The sculpture is in marked contrast to the ephemeral aspects of working life in London, reminding the viewer of something more basic and timeless.’

Date: April 2012 – December 2012

Location: Hanover Square, London