Six pins and half a dozen needles
On 1 August 2017, British artist Alex Chinneck unveiled his first permanent public installation – a giant rip in the brick façade of a London building.
Titled ‘Six Pins and half a Dozen Needles’ the surrealist installation is located on the site of Assembly London, Hammersmith, a former publishing house. Reaching a height of 20 m, and weighing 10 tonnes, the installation is designed to appear as though the building’s red brick façade has cracked in half. Chinneck intended the split to resemble a page ripped from a book.
The product of 14 months’ work collaborating with structural engineers, steelworkers and brick-makers, the piece consists of 4,000 bricks and more than 1,000 stainless steel components. It is formed on a steel framework that is bolted and welded to the building. The ‘rip’ is achieved by using the stainless steel components together with hundreds of unique bricks which were individually cut by hand and water.
The installation process took 18 hours, with each section having to be lifted 75 m to clear the neighbouring buildings on the site.
Alex Chinneck said:
“The work was conceived to engage people in a fun and uplifting way. Although we use real brick, it was designed with a cartoon-like quality to give the sculpture an endearing artifice and playful personality. I set out to create accessible artworks and I sincerely hope this becomes a popular landmark for London and positive experience for Londoners.”
Chinneck is no stranger to the surreal spectacle that merges architecture with sculpture, with previous works including a melting house constructed from wax bricks, and a house façade that appeared to have slumped into the street in Margate.
Alex Chinneck’s ‘Six pins and half a dozen needles’ is a permanent installation and can be viewed at Assembly London, 77 Fulham Palace Road, London, W6 8JA.
Content and images courtesy of Alex Chinneck.
Images © Charles Emerson
[edit] Find out more
[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings Wiki
Featured articles and news
We're expanding our collaborative mission by launching DB Intelligence, an exclusive market research advisory panel. Built environment professionals can now get paid to share their expertise on industry trends, products and services.
Panel members receive direct financial incentives for participating in research projects like short surveys, 1-2-1 interviews and focus groups. Register today to shape the future of the construction sector.
Planning condition discharge in England and Wales
A brief exoplanation from a building compliance expert, with further links.
Overheating guidance and tools for building designers
Guidance for dealing with element of building fabric control that have increasing importance.
Shading for housing, a design guide
From the Good Homes Alliance and British Blind and Shutter Association.
UK Standard Skills Classification (SSC)
A shared framework for describing skills needs.
Social media ban consultation comes to close
CIOB urges UK Government to consider social media’s role in careers guidance in ban debate.
The latest of eight Skills England apprenticeship units
The addition of battery manufacturing welcomed by ECA with a warning about the risks of fast-tracked apprenticeship units.
Building Control Independent Panel final report
A precis of a key report led by Dame Hackitt with full recommendations and link to the government response.
Building Safety recap April, 2026
A short and longer run-through of the month, with links to further information and sources.
CIAT May 2026 briefing.
From medieval scribes to modern word art.
ECA welcomes crackdown on late payment and push for clean energy, whilst CIOB seek fixed cladding removal timeframes.
Cyber Security in the Built Environment
Protecting projects, data, and digital assets: A CIOB Academy TIS.
Managing competence in the built environment
ITFG publishes new industry guide on how to meet the ICC principles.
The UK's campaign to reduce noise pollution: Mythbusting, articles and topic guides.