Hang On A Minute Lads, I’ve Got A Great Idea

“Hang On A Minute Lads, I’ve Got A Great Idea…” is an art installation on the roof of the De La Warr Pavilion by British artist Richard Wilson.

Based upon the iconic final scene of the film The Italian Job, this feat of engineering sees a full-sized replica coach bus balanced on the De La Warr Pavilion’s rooftop.

Description:

Inspired by the scene in the film in which the coach containing gold bullion and a gang of robbers hovers precariously over a cliff, Hang On A Minute Lads, I’ve Got a Great Idea… expands this myth and spectacle in the perfect setting – an equally iconic building, key to the identity of the UK.

The title of the work is taken from the final words in the film spoken by Michael Caine, when the coach, climbing the Italian Alps and carrying a gang of robbers and a fortune in gold, swerves off the road and teeters precariously over the edge of the mountain. With the gang at one end and the gold at the other, the film finishes with an impossible dilemma – how can they save the gold, themselves and the coach from falling over the edge? The Italian Job, its British stars, the use of the Mini as the get-away car, the song “We Are The Self-Preservation Society” and the predicament of the final scene have all contributed to film becoming a national treasure. Hang On A Minute Lads… embraces all those quintessential British cultural references, including its sense of humour and, as such, is the perfect way to demonstrate the excellence of current British creativity and artistic practice.

Richard Wilson’s fascination with this dilemma echoes many of his previous works where the concept of the ‘what if’ is brought into reality. Defying formal notions of architecture and engineering he brings thought- provoking and sometimes gravity-defying spectacle to the public.

You can watch a short video of the installation – here.

Artist: Richard Wilson

Venue: The De La Warr Pavilion, Bexhill-on-Sea, East Sussex, England.