Commissions & Public Art Projects

“Big Bamboo” 50ft high sculpture, Nature of Sculpture, LA Arboretum group show 2015
“Walking Construction” bamboo sculpture installation, Maloof Foundation 2014
“Freefall” Neon sculpture, Museum of Neon Art, Glendale, California 2010
“Lunar Light Field” — concept for Man’s First sculpture installation on the Moon 2009
Renovation of Hayward Gallery Light Tower, London 2007 - 2015
“Light Forest Maze” commissioned by ADIH for project in Tunisia 2009
“Hachi Ni” commissioned by Mr. Theodore Kim 2006
H2O Urban Center and Kinetic Tower commissioned by the Damo Corporation, Seoul, Korea 2004
Fibonacci Spiral Fountain commissioned By Kilroy Realty Corp with the assistance of the LA Cultural Affairs Dept for the Kilroy Westside Media Center, Los Angeles
  • Rough stone slabs, concrete, pumps, valves, lighting and programmable controller.
  • Set in natural landscape. 65 ft x 25 ft x 6ft.
 2004
Playground — Foundation for the Junior Blind, Los Angeles
  • Design and construction of experimental play facility for handicapped children
  • Cement plaster rockwork, steel, shells, found objects, play equipment
 2000
Expanding kinetic sphere sculpture
  • Mycal Otaru, Hokkaido, Japan
  • Commissioned by the Jerde Partnership, architects
  • CNC machined aluminum, winch system, cables, Electronic controls, music, show lighting.
  • 18 ft diameter sculpture set in 80 ft x 70 ft x 40 ft environment.
 1999
Hanging kinetic sculpture
  • Biloxi, Mississippi
  • Fiber optic tape, high intensity illuminators, aluminum tubing
  • 30 ft x 4 ft x 4 ft
 1994
“Standing Wave”
  • Hunter Museum Chattanooga, Tennessee
  • 16 ft x 8 ft ferro-cement sculpture
 1987
Bede Tower, Bede Gallery, Jarrow, England
  • 45 ft tall neon and steel tower, using complex electronics
  • Commissioned by Northern Arts Council, UK
 1978
Jubilee Tower
  • Arboretum Park, Walsall, England
  • 60 ft neon and steel guyed tower
  • Client: City of Walsall and Midlands Arts Council
 1977
Hayward Gallery Neon Tower
  • South Bank Arts Centre, London, England
  • 48 ft tall neon & steel structure with sophisticated interactive weather sensing system
  • Client: Greater London Council and Arts Council of Great Britain
 1972

 

Selected Exhibitions

British Invasion group show, MOAH Lancaster Museum of Art California 2016
Neon group Show, Lois Lambert Gallery, Bergamot station, Los Angeles 2016
Black and Light, one-man show, Wallspace Gallery, Los Angeles 2016
Osmosis show, Wallspace Gallery, Los Angeles 2015
One-man show, Counterintuitive Constructions, Curve Line Space gallery, Los Angeles 2015
London Transplants, Britweek LA UAL alumni group show 2015
Combines, group show bG Gallery, Bergamot station, Los Angeles 2015
Massive, Brilliant, Mint, British Diaspora, Long Beach City College Gallery, CA 2015
LA Art Show 2015, bG Gallery, LA Convention Center, Los Angeles 2015
Two Man show — LA Artcore Gallery, the Brewery LA with James Finnegan 2014
Group drawing show: Brand library; Glendale, CA 2014
Maloof Foundation, Rancho Cucamonga, CA Group Garden sculpture show 2014
One-man show Constructions from Nature MLY Gallery, Malibu California 2014
Patterns Los Angeles Art Association group show 2014
Bistango, Irvine, group show 2014
HudsonLinc Gallery, Pacific Design Center, Los Angeles, group neon show 2014
Group show, Los Angeles Art Association 2013
The Journey, University of the Arts Alumni Group show, LA Trade Mart, Los Angeles. 2013
Ryman Foundation show, Los Angeles 2011
Trees group show, House of Balsamic, Irvine CA 2011
One man drawing show — “Constructions in Time” at Curve Line Space Gallery, Eagle Rock, Los Angeles 2011
Inaugural show, House of Balsamic, Irvine California 2011
Turned On group show, Bleicher Golightly Gallery, Santa Monica, CA, curator Joella March 2010
Museum Of Neon Art group show, Curated by Kim Koga 2009
Synchronicity, one Man Show, Phantom Galleries, Long Beach Curated by Liza Simone 2009
Route 66 group show, Eagle Rock art center 2006
One man show, Fine Artists Factory, Pasadena, California 2005
Altadena Artists group show, Altadena, California 2002
Gallery artists group show, BGH Gallery, Bergamot Station, Los Angeles 2002
Functional Sculpture show, LACE Gallery, The Brewery, Los Angeles 1998
Royal Academy Summer Show, 2002, the Royal Academy of Art, Piccadilly, London 1996, 2002
Southeastern Sculpture Outdoors, a touring show of sculpture, Mississippi Museum of Art 1983-1986
British Art Mid 70's — an Arts Council of Great Britain touring show, Germany 1975
Recent Kinetics — Arts Council touring show, England 1974
Tables — Group Show, Garage Gallery, London, UK 1973
One-man show, Neon Sculptures, Garage Gallery, London, UK 1973
Summer Show, Serpentine Gallery, London, UK, an Arts Council of Great Britain exhibition 1973
Objects and Documents, an Arts Council touring exhibition selected by the artist, Richard Smith 1973
Magic and Strong Medicine, Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool, UK; Norbert Lynton, curator 1972
Kinetics, Hayward Gallery, London, UK, curated by Theo Crosby 1970
Young Contemporaries group show, London, UK 1969

Selected Collections

  • Mr. John Bloomfield
  • Mr. E. Rothschild
  • Mrs. Alice Anne Holthaus
  • Bede Gallery, Jarrow, UK
  • Security Pacific Bank, CA
  • Mrs. Wendy Munger, Lenny Gumport, CA
  • Kilroy Realty, Los Angeles
  • Mr. and Mrs. Roberto Rodriguez
  • Mr. Matthew Rea
  • Ms. Brogan Lane
  • Ms. Kate Mc Andrew
  • Ms. Betsy Lane
  • Mr. & Mrs. Richard Smith
  • Sir Patrick and Lady Head, London
  • Mr. & Mrs. Ledward Kozmian
  • Arts Council of Great Britain
  • Hayward Gallery, London, UK
  • Mr. Charles Hart
  • Hunter Museum of Art, Chattanooga, TN
  • Mr. & Mrs Matthew Oram
  • Ms. Stacey Gottula
  • Museum of Neon Art, Glendale, CA
  • Ms. Nancy Kyes
  • Ms. Juliana Terian, Malibu, CA

Work History

After leaving his position as graduate research assistant at Northumberland Polytechnic art school, Philip Vaughan worked as sculptor in England and as a Fine Art lecturer in a number of British art schools. In 1972 he completed his first major public artwork, the 48 ft tall Hayward Gallery Neon kinetic Tower in London. He married in 1979 and sailed the 40 ft boat he had built in London to the US with his wife, Alice. Shortly after arriving in Florida, he started working for Walt Disney Imagineering, designing and building rides and sets for theme parks. In 1988 he set up his own design company, Vertex Productions, to work on museum exhibits and theme parks and on fine art projects. Meanwhile Philip has been working daily in his studio in Altadena, California, on large drawings, large paintings on canvas and on sculpture projects. He has been regularly showing sculpture, drawings and paintings at both museums and galleries in the U.S. During this time he has also completed a number of public sculpture commissions and sculptural installations.

Education

London Metropolitan University, Department of Fine Art, London, UK
Lecturer in Fine Art, undergraduate course 		1974-77
University of Northumbria, Dept of Fine art, Newcastle, UK
Post graduate Research Assistantship in Fine Art 		1970-72
University of the Arts London, Chelsea School of Art, London, UK
Undergraduate Painting and sculpture degree, first class honours 		1966-69
Middlesex University, Hornsey College of Art, London, UK
Foundation course in fine art 		1965
Cambridge University, Queen's College Cambridge, UK
Architecture 		1963-64