British artist Monster Chetwynd has unveiled her latest monumental sculpture at the Kunsthaus Zurich, creating a towering 26-foot-tall monster head that doubles as a public playground. The sculpture, titled 'Zardoz,' is now permanently installed in the Garden of Art behind the museum's Chipperfield building and will remain accessible to the public free of charge through 2027.
The imposing sculptural head features a menacing expression with an open mouth revealing 16 teeth of varying shapes—some sharp, others stubby—along with a furrowed brow and stern eyes that convey anything but cheerfulness. Despite its intimidating appearance, the artwork is designed to fascinate children and adults alike. Inside the massive head, which resembles an angry emoji from a psychedelic parallel universe manifested in three dimensions, visitors will find a climbing structure made of wood, steel, and concrete.
The interactive sculpture allows visitors to climb to the top of Zardoz's head and descend either by the same route or via a slide located on the back of the structure. The interior of the sculpture has a distinctive wood scent and provides a unique play experience that combines art with recreation. During a media presentation, a young elementary school girl spontaneously tested the installation, declaring it 'cool' as she looked up at the climbing tower from inside the giant head. After finding the entrance to the climbing apparatus and reaching the top, she used the slide to descend and immediately requested to go again.
Chetwynd, who currently lives in Wipkingen, explained during the media presentation that she is interested in art that leaves museums and focuses on accessibility, humor, and absurdity—all qualities that her monster head embodies. The artist drew inspiration from two distinct sources: English garden follies, the seemingly useless ornamental structures from late 16th-century English garden design, and the 1974 dystopian science fiction film 'Zardoz' directed by John Boorman. In the film, a giant head floats over a post-apocalyptic world, spewing weapons while serving as both deity and spaceship.
For Chetwynd, the feminist film holds subversive potential, as its exaggerated machismo becomes grotesque and no longer threatening. Similarly, the menacing quality of her artwork in the Garden of Art fails due to its sheer size and playful nature. The artist revealed that she originally envisioned an even more gigantic scale for the sculpture—her desired height was 98 feet, which would have made the head tower 33 feet above the Chipperfield building. She admitted that she would have been pleased if this massive scale had transformed the building's rear entrance into the main entrance, as she finds the current traffic situation there uninviting.
The current size of this first commissioned work by the Kunsthaus for the park still presented enormous challenges for the creators and installers. The sculpture consists of 34 pieces made up of thousands of individual components that had to be assembled on-site in the Garden of Art. The logistics were impressive: the lightest piece weighs approximately 1,760 pounds, while the heaviest weighs 6 tons. Developing this complex artwork required both digital expertise and traditional craftsmanship skills.
Monster Chetwynd expressed her enthusiasm for the final result, stating 'I'm thrilled! I hope you are,' while wishing for her sculpture to create positive memories for visitors. The official inauguration of Zardoz is scheduled for September 14th, but the sculpture will already be available for exploration during the Long Night of Zurich Museums, inviting visitors to discover, climb, and play with this unique artistic creation that bridges the gap between high art and accessible public entertainment.
