Exploding Installation is an Archive of People's Lives

London-based artist Stuart Haygarth has constructed a massive chandelier made of found objects for the UCH Macmillan Cancer Centre, as commissioned by the University College London Hospitals. The suspended installation titled Strand presents a spectacular burst of color that is further heightened by the nearly invisible fine metal wires that each individual item hangs from. Whether they be broken or fully intact, each piece in the sculptural work adds to the visual illusion of a colorful explosion frozen in time.

Haygarth assembled the piece with hundreds of random objects he found along the 500-mile coastal trek from Gravesend to Land's End in an effort to depict what he calls an "archive, fragments of people's lives." The piece also metaphorically represents the cancer patient's journey, a long one that collects memories along the way.

Strand currently hangs in the entrance hall to the new cancer center, inviting visitors to look through its ordinary components which include anything from children's toys to toothbrushes. Additionally, there are large photographs on the first floor of the many objects Haygarth has come across on his journey.