Schism is the latest work by Conrad Shawcross to investigate the beguiling geometric and philosophical qualities of the tetrahedron – geometrically a four-sided non-tessellating form and conceptually the symbol of an indivisible unit of matter. As a building block, the tetrahedron behaves as an irrational number, creating sequences that, in theory, extend into infinity without repetition. Each Schism consists of twenty tetrahedrons bolted together to form a near perfect polygonal form. The sculpture comes close to forming an Icosahedron, a polyhedron with 20 faces and the platonic sibling of the tetrahedron, but for the fact that it does not ‘work’. While some sides mate perfectly, the form is covered with a deep chasm and a series of cracks. The rational order of the working geometry is violently contrasted with a sense of a deep problem that is ripping the ideal apart. This rupture, this schism, could be seen by some as proof of a godless world, or of a god that is certainly mischievous. By others it could be seen as a timely symbol of our turbulent times. In summer 2020 Conrad Shawcross inaugurated 'Schism (Château La Coste)', a 6.5m permanent sculpture on the grounds of Château La Coste.