APRIL 23, 2008

A change of scene

Honda Racing F1's chief mechanic Alastair Gibson left the team a few weeks ago, his aim being to pursue a career in the art world, creating carbonfibre sculptures. He will be displaying his most recent works, called Racing Brown and Racing Piranha, with the Russell Gallery at the Chelsea Art Fair this week in London.

Honda Racing F1's chief mechanic Alastair Gibson left the team a few weeks ago, his aim being to pursue a career in the art world, creating carbonfibre sculptures. He will be displaying his most recent works, called Racing Brown and Racing Piranha, with the Russell Gallery at the Chelsea Art Fair this week in London.

"This is a real privilege for a relatively new artist such as myself," Gibson says. "I hope many art lovers will enjoy the medium of carbon fibre sculpture, which is little known at the moment, but I™m sure will become increasingly popular as this unique textile becomes more prevalent in our environment. Both of these pieces are highly individual and use the sleekness of the carbon fibre to bring movement and fluidity to the aquatic forms. Most of my work has been based on marine life, but with the time to be more creative and develop all the ideas that I have, as well as the freedom to explore some of the new, innovative materials that are used in Formula 1, I hope to evolve my work with new subjects and themes. It™s a major change for me, but I™m very excited about the future."

The Chelsea Art Fair starts tomorrow at the Chelsea Old Town Hall in the Kings Road.