A Week At The Knees

Location: London

Brick Manufacturer: Michelmersh Brick Holdings PLC

Brick Names: Freshfield Lane First Quality Multi, Floren Albion

Architect: Alex Chinneck

Brickwork Contractor:  TBC

Alex Chinneck’s A Week at the Knees is a striking new installation for Clerkenwell Design Week 2025 that reimagines the language of traditional brick architecture through his signature blend of illusion and engineering. Installed in Charterhouse Square and inspired by the surrounding Georgian townhouses, the work continues the sculptural narrative first explored in his acclaimed Margate project From the knees of my nose to the belly of my toes (2013), where a full-size house appeared to slide down its own frontage.

Constructed from 7,000 hand-laid bricks and supported by 320 metres of repurposed steel, this four-storey façade appears to ripple under pressure, as though caught mid-bend. Measuring 5.5 metres tall and 13.5 metres wide, the sculpture spans the length of a townhouse terrace yet remains just 15cm deep - a remarkable engineering feat that lends the installation a near-weightless quality, despite weighing 11.5 tonnes.

Chinneck is known for manipulating everyday materials into extraordinary forms. Whether melting façades, unzipping walls or bending lampposts into knots, his practice invites a playful reconsideration of the built environment. In A Week at the Knees, his manipulation of brickwork, stone details, joinery and glazing challenges perceptions of rigidity and permanence, transforming traditionally unyielding materials into fluid, expressive gestures.

The piece was created in collaboration with leading British manufacturers and craftspeople. Michelmersh Brick Holdings PLC supplied two of its premium products, First Quality Multi and Floren Albion bricks, precision-cut by FabSpeed to achieve the intricate curves. The sculpture also incorporates recycled steel from Cleveland Steel, salvaged from the demolition of the former US Embassy in London, saving approximately 9.3 tonnes of CO₂ emissions. Bespoke bending windows and a door, crafted by Crittall, complete the illusion of a distorted, yet curiously familiar, building.

Chinneck’s partnership with Michelmersh extends his early exploration into brick as both material and medium. These studies, grounded in close collaboration with the UK’s leading brickmakers, have formed a cornerstone of his practice. By pushing the physical limits of brick while maintaining the visual integrity of traditional masonry, he continues to expand what is thought possible in both art and architecture.

Over the past decade, Chinneck has produced nearly 20 large-scale public artworks that reshape the urban landscape with humour and ambition. His projects have appeared across the UK and internationally, commissioned by institutions such as the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Nancy, Times Art Museum in Beijing, London Design Festival, Milan Design Week and Hermès Hong Kong.

A Week at the Knees offers a full 360-degree experience and has been designed with touring and the potential for permanent installation in mind. It stands as a sculptural survey of Chinneck’s career to date — from the playful subversion of his early brickwork to a mature, technically sophisticated and environmentally conscious piece that redefines how we relate to architecture, materials and space.