Tuesday 7 December 2010

Our Room for London - A weather(vane)



















Perched on the roof edge of the Queen Elizabeth Hall our room is a weather vane. It rotates in the wind and changes its views accordingly. It celebrates the exposure to the elements, which is often kept out of cities.

Not only does the weather determine the view inside the vane, it also talks about the weather to the city. Its shiny presence reflects its surroundings, sky and city during the day, lights during the night.

The room is about views. In prevailing wind conditions, the picture window in the tail allows the lounging visitors to enjoy views onto St Paul’s cathedral. The panoramic window in its nose opens up across the river down to Big Ben to the left. When the wind changes the views change. Each stay in the vane will be determined by the conditions of the day.

Near the site of the Festival of Britain the weather vane re-enacts some of the experimental and futuristic spirit of the history behind the Southbank location.

Rumour has it that over 500 entries were submitted for the Artangel/ Living Architecture...