Richard Wilson Slipstream

"What I wanted was the most beautiful piece of sculpture in Europe and I think that's what we have here with Slipstream.' -John Holland-Kaye, Heathrow Development Director


In 2010, Heathrow ran an international arts competition to find an ambitious public artwork for the Covered Court, architect Luis Vidal's grand entrance to the new Terminal 2 : The Queen's Terminal, which would provide a 'cultural gateway to London' for the expected 20 million visitors a year.


The winner was Richard Wilson RA, whose sculpture encapsulating the imagined flight path of an aerobatics aircraft now shimmers in the lights of the Covered Court, providing a monument to the spirit of collaboration, British ingenuity and the increasing popularity of contemporary art in 'museums without walls'.


This book traces Slipstream's epic journey from inception through to the reality of an artwork that links together the technological age with the golden era of aviation, a joyful celebration of the spirit of 21-st century flight. It is a story of creativity, cutting-edge design, engineering and construction all bonded together by extraordinary teamwork and dedication.


The book contains films, audio interviews with Richard Wilson, moveable 3D models and an extensive gallery of previously unseen images documenting Slipstream from conception to completion.