A work by internationally renowned Scottish artist David Batchelor is now adorning St Pancras International’s iconic Grand Terrace in London. Hanging some nine metres above the station’s platforms, the structure, a 20 x 10m mosaic work comprising 44 brightly coloured Perspex ‘L’ shapes slotted together in a stunning geometric formation, continues his trademark exploration of colour and urbanism.
Entitled Chromolocomotion, it is the second phase of the Terrace Wires programme, which has been described as ‘the fourth leg of London’s rotational public art spaces’ alongside the Fourth Plinth, Serpentine Gallery and the Tate Modern’s Turbine Hall. The new commission follows Lucy + Jorge Orta’s hugely popular Cloud: Meteoros.
Speaking about the project, David Batchelor said: “The commission offered me the chance to create a work that celebrates the beauty and grandeur of this iconic example of industrial engineering. With that in mind it seemed appropriate to celebrate this great volume of space above the platforms with something that alludes to these magnificent qualities.”
Nicola Shaw, CEO at HS1 Ltd (owners of St Pancras International) and Terrace Wires head judge, added: “We are in no doubt that this latest piece will delight and intrigue passengers, stopping them in their tracks and encouraging them to look up, capturing both their eyes and their hearts.”
Chromolocomotion was selected by a jury that, alongside Shaw, included: Nigel Carrington, Vice-Chancellor at University of the Arts London; Richard Cook, Editorial Director at Wallpaper Magazine; Evan Davis, journalist and author; Chris Wainwright, Pro-Vice Chancellor at University of the Arts London and Head of Camberwell, Chelsea and Wimbledon Arts Colleges; Edmund de Waal, artist and author. It can be viewed from the Grand Terrace until late September 2014.
