Apr 15, 2010

Bloom

written by andrew
in category Outdoor, Permanent

greyworld have created a permanent 55m installation for a striking new Foster and Partners development in historic Spitalfields, East London.

The work of art occupies the full height of the building’s central 10-storey atrium. It uses hundreds of flowers, hidden within a seemingly sober column suspended within the space, to allow the building to bloom into life. A vibrant core at the centre of these buildings that reflects the dynamic activity within the surrounding offices.

The installation responds to the motion of people as they enter the atrium or travel up in the glass lift that dominates this space. In this way, people moving around the building can directly influence their environment. The installation is also affected by different light levels in the space, so as the sun shines the flowers gently bloom, opening their petals up to the sunlight. At quieter periods throughout the day the sculpture generates patterns based on an infinite library of forms, ensuring that the work of art is an elegant ever-changing heart at the centre of the building.

A small maquette of the artwork was installed at the headquarters of the Royal British Society of Sculptors, in Kensington, London.