Don Hutchison explores what Manchester City must do in order to secure a Harry Kane deal. (1:04).
Many visiting fans have enjoyed the excellent hospitality at Tottenham Hotspur’s new stadium, which was opened by the Premier League club two years ago. It features multiple restaurants, Europe's longest bars, and even a brewery.
The North London side has done it again this summer, hosting an in-house exhibition of art. Spurs allowed OOF, an art and football magazine, permission to hold a soccer-themed exhibit in Warmington House. This Grade II-listed building is located next to the stadium and is owned by Spurs.
This space was transformed into a contemporary art gallery. It is hosting "BALLS", its first exhibition. The exhibit features sculptures inspired by and made up of various footballs. "BALLS" includes works by many established artists like Sarah Lucas, Marcus Harvey, and Abigail Lane. There are also pieces commissioned by local rising talent such as Rosie Gibbens and Lindsey Mendick.
Justin Hammond, OOF co-curator, said that the task was to "sabotage" a traditional function of a football, a concept that Spurs fans are familiar with, and transform it into something extraordinary, unrecognisable, and totally unrelated to the game.
Hammond, a Tottenham fan for over 20 years, said that the sculptures are "monuments to political histories and childhood dreams, and overwhelming desires".
Many of the pieces are described by Hammond "visual punchlines", and BALLS brings together modern art and football to create a lighthearted mix of nostalgia, introspection and fun.
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"The Longest Ball in the World" (Laurent Perbos 2017,)
Tom Carter. Copyright and Courtesy OOF Gallery
The longest ball in the world, actually made of stitched leather is exactly that. Although it would be difficult to kick a free kick into the top corner with it, Perbos' longer ball is likely still more aerodynamically stable that the Adidas Jabulani. Ledley King, a former Tottenham captain, couldn't resist getting a little laugh out of it after he saw the exhibition.
'Kipple #2: Mitre Delta, Nike Cortez' (Dominic Watson, 2021)
Tom Carter. Copyright and Courtesy OOF Gallery
These two items of gear will bring back fond memories for many children of the 1990s. However, we don't recall ever microwaving them.
'Self-Portrait as a Pheasant' (Abigail Lane, 2012)
Tom Carter. Copyright and Courtesy OOF Gallery
Lane has recreated herself using real feathers as a leather football with beige plumage.
"You Make It So Hard to Love You (Tainted love)" (Lindsey Mendick 2021).
Tom Carter. Copyright and Courtesy OOF Gallery
A turquoise ceramic football made of clay, which has been glued together and decorated with jagged pieces flora or fauna. It's like a long-lost, abandoned playground ball that was found in a ditch years later.
"Endless Column III" (Hank Willis Thomas 2017, 2017).
Tom Carter. Copyright and Courtesy OOF Gallery
Endless Column is a collection of fibreglass footballs, stacked high in a vertical column. It ends abruptly after the 10th metallicsphere.
'Obverse & Reverse XXXI' (Dario Escobar, 2017).
Tom Carter. Copyright and Courtesy OOF Gallery
The footballs are arranged in clumps to create the illusion of two moody clouds suspended in midair. Only the thinnest of tethers prevent them from floating free.
"The First Ball" (Kieran Leeach, 2020).
Tom Carter. Copyright and Courtesy OOF Gallery
Ouch. That's a career-ending injury, if ever we saw one.
"Pre-Match Ritual" and "Team Building Exercise" (Rosie Gibbens 2021).
Tom Carter. Copyright and Courtesy OOF Gallery
This abstract work uses footballs, baby bottles, and fabric to make a colorful "energy drink dispenser" that players can use to get their energy from mid-game while kneeling on the pads.
'Canary in a Coal Mine’ (Jazz Grant 2021).
Tom Carter. Copyright and Courtesy OOF Gallery
This sprawling wall art uses hexagons taken from an unpicked soccer to create a lively collage of 1970s English football scenes, including the widespread hooliganism.
"A Playground for Bubbleheads" (Paul Deller 2020-21).
Tom Carter. Copyright and Courtesy OOF Gallery
Deller turned 21 footballs inside out, and daubed each one with a unique paint job to make a wall mural that looks like a school year's worth.
"Celery FC" (Lana Locke 2012)
Tom Carter. Copyright and Courtesy OOF Gallery
This bronze casting of a celery stalk is placed over an old blue football. It refers to the rather crude chant that Chelsea fans used.
"World Cup Again" (Sarah Lucas 2002)
Tom Carter. Copyright and Courtesy OOF Gallery
A concrete football. King probably didn't want to kick this one.
'Victoria' (Marcus Harvey, 2008)
Tom Carter. Copyright and Courtesy OOF Gallery
Harvey's bronze cast shows an old-fashioned 1960s soccer slowly falling apart in the middle. Although it is believed to be an allegory of the decline and destruction of the British Empire by some viewers, others have mistakenly thought it was a large chair.
