Column

Column (2019) by Studio Swine at Lexicon, City Road is the art collective’s first permanent public artwork in London, commissioned by Mount Anvil and curated by Futurecity. It was announced to the public in May 2019.

Futurecity managed the commission from concept through to completion, working closely with Mount Anvil to establish the opportunities and constraints of the project, develop the Artist Brief and manage the artist selection process. Futurecity acted as curatorial advisor, client representative, artist liaison and quality control monitor throughout the delivery process.

Lexicon is a residential development in Islington adjacent to the City Basin. Standing at 36 storeys’ high, it is the borough’s tallest building and a new addition to London’s dynamic skyline. Materiality, light, verticality and visual impact were important themes for the commission brief. The commission was to be visible from City Road, acting as a landmark for the development to engage residents and passers-by, supporting and complementing the building’s architectural ambition and surrounding built and natural environment. The commission was to reflect the heritage and cultural activity of the area and contribute to the cultural identity of the development and wider borough.

Studio Swine were selected for the commission because of their multi-disciplinary practice and experience working at scale, their deep interest in materiality and the way in which history and place influences their work. In response to the verticality of the buildings, Studio Swine’s Column comprises a large reflective aluminum rock perched on a rusted corten steel sheet which protrudes vertically from the ground at 5.3m high. The work creates a sense of weight and weightlessness, balance and tension, and through Studio Swine’s choice of materials – and their relationship to each other – reflects the connection and transition between the industrial past of City Road Basin and the new tech industry at Old Street’s Silicon Roundabout. Column was fabricated by Millimetre.

Futurecity continue to support Studio Swine’s artistic practice and development through continued curatorial and public art commissioning work. In 2016 the collective created a series of public realm furniture at St. James’s Market as part of a wider public art programme commissioned by The Crown Estate and curated by Futurecity. Following this, Futurecity worked with Eden Project in Cornwall and curated the delivery of Studio Swine’s immersive 20-tonne installation ∞ Blue (Infinity Blue) for the centrepiece of the Eden Project’s Invisible Worlds 5-year programme.

This is one of three commissions curated by Futurecity for Mount Anvil across London; the others are Untitled by Jo Hayes Ward and Ecliptical Spheres by James Hopkins.

• Read interview with Studio Swine about their work here
• Read more about Studio Swine here