AA alumna Elyssa Sykes-Smith creates sculptural installation as part of Next Big Thing TV show

Recent AA graduate Elyssa Sykes-Smith has created a sculptural installation titled Reclaimed Chaos for the London Live TV show Next Big Thing. The show aired initially in February 2021 and follows the day-to-day creative process of 11 finalists as they develop a piece of original work reflecting ‘The Spirit of London’.

Sykes-Smith’s piece, Reclaimed Chaos, was created using reclaimed wood from London construction sites that would otherwise have been discarded. The sculpture presents London embodied as a protagonist within the global narrative of the climate crisis. Reclaimed Chaos aims to offer a paused moment of reflection within a haze of uncertainty; an opportunity to observe our relationship with nature.

Watch a compilation of Sykes-Smith’s journey on the show here, and watch episodes one to six of Next Big Thing online.