Street lamps and a post box tie themselves in knots, while a red telephone box is wrung out – a series of playful new sculptures created by artist Alex Chinneck for Bristol’s waterfront.

Chinneck is known for his large-scale public sculptures, which encourage viewers to see the urban landscape through fresh, joyful eyes. He has previously ‘unzipped’ the façades of buildings, created a loop-the-loop narrowboat, and turned a pylon upside down, wedging it into the ground like a javelin – all of which distort perspective and upend expectations about our streets.

This latest series of artworks was commissioned for Assembly Bristol, to mark the reopening of Cheese Lane, which had been closed to the public for 50 years. The sculptures take iconic British street features and give them a subversive twist.

The first of five artworks installed is a pair of functional lamp posts tied in a bow. Viewed on screen, they might resemble AI renders, but in reality, the sculpture is cast in steel, weighs over 250 kg, and lights up at night to illuminate its setting.

A second ‘knotted’ lamp post sculpture is installed in front of the cast iron railings and stonework of Bristol’s Floating Harbour wall. Dubbed ‘First Kiss at Last Light’, the anthropomorphic, four-metre-tall piece resembles a couple in a loving embrace.

‘Wring-ring’ takes the classic British red public telephone box and cinches its middle, wringing it out like an old towel. The artwork is installed right outside BT’s new South West hub; the company has taken over one of Assembly’s buildings, creating 170 jobs in the city.

Meanwhile, ‘Alphabetti Spaghetti’ is a new version of Chinneck’s knotted post box (first debuted in 2019), painted bright fire-engine red to complement the colourful Allford Hall Monaghan Morris-designed building.

‘This family of steel sculptures aims to connect key points and sightlines across Assembly, inviting visitors to explore and move through the site,’ says Chinneck. ‘Their playful yet technically complex transformation of everyday objects into surreal sculptures is intended to contribute an uplifting personality and unique identity to Assembly. The illuminated lamp posts mark my first venture into functional sculpture, bridging public art and civic design.’

Read next: Melek Zeynep Bulut builds a ghostly threshold inside London’s Painted Hall

London’s secret rooftop sculpture garden is hosting a new show this autumn