Born in Melbourne, Australia, Meadmore worked as an industrial designer and engineer before turning to a career in art. He moved to the United States in 1963 and was living in New York City when Split Ring was first displayed in conjunction with the exhibition "Sculpture Off the Pedestal" in 1973. Organized by the then Women's Committee of the Grand Rapids Art Museum, the exhibition included monumental scaled works by 13 contemporary sculptors. Showcased in downtown Grand Rapids, the goal of the exhibition was to make art as much a part of everyday life as possible. Originally installed in front of the Frey Building between Ottawa, Ionia, Lyon and Michigan, the work was purchased by the Taubman Company, Inc., developers of Woodland Shopping Center. The work was reinstalled inside the mall in front of Marshall Fields upon completion of the exhibition and was most recently moved adjacent to Siegel Jewelers.

Corten steel became the preferred material for Meadmore large-scale works early on, either painted black or left to rust. His exploration of elongated, squared metal tubes, as in Split Ring, has been the focus of his work throughout his career. In these, the movement and variation of the form is paramount, the materials and finish have remained a constant.