Bob 'Stig' Campbell
Encyclopedia
Bob Campbell AKA 'Stig' (born 1963) is an English sculptor. He is best known for his furniture design and his use of redundant mechanical and industrial parts.
s and animal
s. His home
and workshop
are located in South Yorkshire
, a region of England
that was traditionally a centre for heavy engineering
and steel
production. The area experienced a dramatic decline in fortunes from the 1980s onwards and this is evident in both the forms and materials Campbell works with.
Throughout his career Campbell has retained a tight control of how his work is exhibited. Previous venues have ranged wildly from mainstream upmarket retailers in south east England
to music festivals and a small private gallery attached to his workshop. Campbell is fiercely independent and his rejection of a conventional art sales model is a key part of who he is and why he has attracted the support of a moderately sized and dedicated group of private collectors across the UK. These people often find entirely disparate meanings within his work.
, West Yorkshire
. He left school early to pursue various solo entrepreneurial schemes including the large scale manufacture of counterfeit
perfume
. By his own admission, the late discovery of sculpture
and furniture design has ensured that he avoided a lifestyle that might otherwise have been blighted by petty criminality. Campbell and his partner Carol-Anne Campbell (to whom he is not married) live together with their only child Joshua.
Work
Campbell's work references the (often skeletal) forms of both humanHuman
Humans are the only living species in the Homo genus...
s and animal
Animal
Animals are a major group of multicellular, eukaryotic organisms of the kingdom Animalia or Metazoa. Their body plan eventually becomes fixed as they develop, although some undergo a process of metamorphosis later on in their life. Most animals are motile, meaning they can move spontaneously and...
s. His home
Home
A home is a place of residence or refuge. When it refers to a building, it is usually a place in which an individual or a family can rest and store personal property. Most modern-day households contain sanitary facilities and a means of preparing food. Animals have their own homes as well, either...
and workshop
Workshop
A workshop is a room or building which provides both the area and tools that may be required for the manufacture or repair of manufactured goods...
are located in South Yorkshire
South Yorkshire
South Yorkshire is a metropolitan county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It has a population of 1.29 million. It consists of four metropolitan boroughs: Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham, and City of Sheffield...
, a region of England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
that was traditionally a centre for heavy engineering
Engineering
Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...
and steel
Steel
Steel is an alloy that consists mostly of iron and has a carbon content between 0.2% and 2.1% by weight, depending on the grade. Carbon is the most common alloying material for iron, but various other alloying elements are used, such as manganese, chromium, vanadium, and tungsten...
production. The area experienced a dramatic decline in fortunes from the 1980s onwards and this is evident in both the forms and materials Campbell works with.
Throughout his career Campbell has retained a tight control of how his work is exhibited. Previous venues have ranged wildly from mainstream upmarket retailers in south east England
South East England
South East England is one of the nine official regions of England, designated in 1994 and adopted for statistical purposes in 1999. It consists of Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, East Sussex, Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Kent, Oxfordshire, Surrey and West Sussex...
to music festivals and a small private gallery attached to his workshop. Campbell is fiercely independent and his rejection of a conventional art sales model is a key part of who he is and why he has attracted the support of a moderately sized and dedicated group of private collectors across the UK. These people often find entirely disparate meanings within his work.
Life
Born the youngest of 2 children, Campbell grew up in relatively deprived area of LeedsLeeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
, West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire is a metropolitan county within the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England with a population of 2.2 million. West Yorkshire came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972....
. He left school early to pursue various solo entrepreneurial schemes including the large scale manufacture of counterfeit
Counterfeit
To counterfeit means to illegally imitate something. Counterfeit products are often produced with the intent to take advantage of the superior value of the imitated product...
perfume
Perfume
Perfume is a mixture of fragrant essential oils and/or aroma compounds, fixatives, and solvents used to give the human body, animals, objects, and living spaces "a pleasant scent"...
. By his own admission, the late discovery of sculpture
Sculpture
Sculpture is three-dimensional artwork created by shaping or combining hard materials—typically stone such as marble—or metal, glass, or wood. Softer materials can also be used, such as clay, textiles, plastics, polymers and softer metals...
and furniture design has ensured that he avoided a lifestyle that might otherwise have been blighted by petty criminality. Campbell and his partner Carol-Anne Campbell (to whom he is not married) live together with their only child Joshua.