Arcadia (South Bank Peace Pavilion)
Gabriel Lester’s studio PolyLester is globally renowned, focusing on art, public sculptures and architectural interventions, was commissioned by the South Bank Centre as part of The Festival of Love to deliver a stunning art installation that would complement the “Art Across the Site” exhibition. It explored the different types of love that we may encounter from friends and family to complete strangers.
Project Details
Designer: Gabriel Lester & Martine Vledder (PolyLester)
Client: London Southbank Centre
Location: Southbank Centre Pavilion
The installation is made up from translucent plastic strips found in industrial settings. The installation is lit by sun during the day (that is IF there is sun) and lit by a beacon from within during the night. What Lester said of love is – “a heart should be colourful, open and light to let in love”.
Using industrial steel sections we literally had to add the supporting structure to the existing structure of the South Bank Centre, during the day, with the restaurants and other commercial outlets continuing to function with no business interruption. We once again had to use cranes and manage the flow of public in a very busy environment and satisfy the local authority that we could execute this difficult project without any risk to the public.
The result was stunning and seeing the public interact with this unique installation was a joy.
Photo Credit: London Southbank Centre
