KAFFEINE / Arts & Culture, Events, Placemaking, Visual Arts

Putting public art on the map: Our top picks in London

9 August 2017

We announced, POWER by Morag Myerscough as part of the cultural placemaking campaign for Battersea Power Station.  This bold design frames the entrance to Circus West Village, the first new neighbourhood created through the regeneration.

Battersea Power Station and CASS Sculpture Foundation have also recently announced internationally acclaimed artists Jesse Wine and Haffendi Anuar as joint winners of the inaugural ‘Powerhouse Commission’. The artists’ will see their winning proposals unveiled at Battersea Power Station’s Circus West Village in September.

Pop over to the Power Station to see Morag’s work and also enjoy the Power of Summer Festival that’s currently running at Circus West Village. 

If you’re on the hunt for more top quality public art we have chosen our top five favourite public art installations in London this summer: 

      1. Sculpture in the City, The City of London, until May 2018

The seventh edition of the project includes works by Paul McCarthy, Ryan Gander and Damien Hirst – look out for Martin Creed’s rubbish tree, Work No.2814 (2017)

      2. Frieze Sculpture Park, English Garden, Regents Park, until October 8 2017

New and significant works (25 in total) including Sir Eduardo Paolozzi’s Vulcan (1999) and Ugo Rondinone’s white painted olive tree Summer Moon (2011).  Magdalena Abakanowicz’s headless Standing Figure With Wheel (1990) is a dark tribute to her childhood spent in first Nazi, then Soviet occupied Poland.

      3. Daniel Buren, Tottenham Court Road Tube Station, permanent

French artist Daniel Buren has covered the walls of the ticket hall with brightly coloured shapes and stripes. Buren’s aim was to offer the public “a beautiful bubble of oxygen for the spirit”. Passers-by are encouraged to take the time to stop and observe the forms and colours.

      4. Alex Chinneck, Fulham Palace Road, Hammersmith, permanent

Titled Six pins and half a dozen needles (2017), Chinneck’s first permanent sculpture installation was unveiled two weeks ago. Adorning the façade of Assembly London, the installation weighs 10 tonnes and stands 20 metres above the ground.

      5. CASS Sculpture Foundation, West Sussex, permanent

Not strictly in London! But many of the works have been displayed in the City such as these works by Jake and Dinos Chapman that were in enjoyed in the Square mile before heading to Sussex. The foundation’s regular talks and workshops give great insight into permanent and temporary works on display. 

 

From live performance installations, such as Tino Seghal’s These Associations (Tate Modern Turbine Hall, 2012) to Alex Chinneck’s Six Pins and a Half Dozen Needles (2017), London has significantly increased its footprint on the map of public art over the past few years.

For more recommendations or advice on how to maximise your public art installation speak to our Arts and Culture team at: culture@kallaway.com.