Red Gravity | Panopticom
Stratachrome sculpture · 2021
- ArtistDavid Spriggs
- Date2021
- Dimensions61 × 84 × 20 cm
24 × 33 × 8 in - MaterialsAcrylic paint on layered plexiglass with lightbox
- CollectionPeter Gabriel
A red vortex makes gravitational force imaginable.
“It was the theme of surveillance that connected me with the work of David Spriggs because he’d done a piece relating to that.” Peter Gabriel, 2023

In Red Gravity, painted trajectories circle a central void. Their curvature suggests matter drawn into motion by an unseen force. Red intensifies the sense of energy, giving the vortex a presence that can be felt in relation to the body. The centre can suggest a singularity, a concentration of force whose presence is felt through the surrounding trajectories. Around it, the luminous marks hold the tension of movement within a still form. The work develops the subject of the Gravity artworks: force made imaginable through the forms and trajectories it suggests. The vortex also recalls an eye. This association acquired a further context when Peter Gabriel selected Red Gravity for the cover of his 2023 single Panopticom and for the international i/o tour. Gabriel connected with Spriggs’ wider exploration of surveillance; the song imagines collective observation as a means of scrutinising those in power. Red Gravity is in the collection of Peter Gabriel. View Panopticom (Bright Side Mix). Artwork photography by David Spriggs. Concert photograph by York Tillyer.



