In the context of the city, architecture and art are not separate disciplines. They each play a role in shaping our communities and enhancing the experience of living in the city. Our work embraces the notion that art is an essential part of the narrative and is embodied from the outset. Whether permanent or ephemeral, public art has the power to tell stories, to echo the values of a community, and to spark engagement.
From the vibrant installation by Alexis Teplin at 150 Aldersgate, where Brutalist and Victorian forms merge, to Gavin Turk’s Axis Mundi at the Brunel Building, which fuses sustainability with artistic provocation, art can transform the ordinary.
Interventions such as CIRCA at Piccadilly Circus, demonstrate how fleeting moments of creativity can have a lasting impact. At Finsbury Circus House, digital craft illustrates how the natural world can be reimagined, and in the Olympic Village, an engraved quote by Tennyson, reminds us that art can embody the spirit of a time and place.
The numerous artist colleagues with whom we have collaborated are celebrated here, each contributing to the life of the city.
150 Aldersgate Street Alexis Teplin ‘Circle, Wave, Stitch’
This site-specific artwork explores the interplay between the Brutalist geometry of the Barbican and the textured Victorian brickwork of Smithfield.
Ten painted ceramic tiles are set within the profiled glazed wall tiles that line Braidwood Passage. Painted arcs, inspired by the Barbican’s curved balconies, create dynamic repetition, and etched lines evoke thread and seam, recalling the textile trades that populated Aldersgate in an earlier age. Subtle variations in hue and depth with etched motifs stand within the repetitive field of blue.
150 Aldersgate Street Lattice Fins
The repetitive perpendicular concrete fins that line Aldersgate, pay a sculptural homage to the textured concrete used extensively across the Barbican Estate. They also provide a visual screen for the occupants of buildings that overlook the street.
The abstract composition with its delicate perforated pattern, introduces a level of visual transparency to the full height cast elements.
100 Fetter Lane Blue Bricks
Public houses are a vibrant part of London life, and the recreation of the former ‘White Swan’ that occupied the site on Fetter Lane in the City of London, maintains that tradition. The new pub is clad in faience glazed bricks, echoing the glazed tiled façades of earlier City hostelries.
However, this is a contemporary interpretation, with an electric blue glaze used throughout, to define its presence on the corner of Fetter Lane and Greystoke Place.
100 Fetter Lane Blue Bricks
A series of symbols and motifs are incorporated into the bricks, referencing literary figures who lived locally, businesses that characterised the area, and the public houses, watering holes for those that worked locally. The Printer’s Devil and The Vintners Arms are identified, as is the Monotype Company, a typesetting machine manufacturer with offices on Fetter Lane. Poet John Dryden lived locally, and Fetter Lane was also the home of Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver before he set out on his travels.
Further references to the neighbourhood’s printing heritage appear in the typefaces embossed into the masonry columns. Texts and quotations from literary figures, include John Wilkes, journalist and politician, whose statue stands outside the adjacent Rolls Building.
100 Fetter Lane Column
Brunel Building
Gavin Turk Axis Mundi
One of the 160-metre-deep boreholes installed at Fletcher Priest’s Brunel Building, is expressed in the adjacent canalside walk. Derwent, the building owner, commissioned internationally renowned artist Gavin Turk to cap the top of the borehole. He proposed a giant bronze sink plug.
Titled Axis Mundi, the sculpture has a functional role too, sealing the pumping machinery chamber below. With its playful, thought-provoking form, the piece pays homage to the iconic ready-mades of Marcel Duchamp, an artist whose influence Turk has acknowledged on his own work.
Lucent Piccadilly Circus CIRCA
David Hockney & Others
Each evening at 20:25, the Piccadilly Lights transform into a public art platform, featuring a two-and-a-half-minute video work by a different artist. This initiative, known as CIRCA, was conceived by Josef O’Connor, who oversees the monthly commissions. Describing it as a time-based digital art platform, O’Connor has invited a diverse array of artists to showcase their work. The first featured artist, Ai Weiwei, debuted in October 2020 with 31 films, each 150 seconds long, presented nightly at 20:20. These films offered filmic versions of his life story.
CIRCA’s website is synced to the large high-quality digital screen, that fronts Fletcher Priest’s Lucent project. Viewers can listen to audio through their phones, enhancing the immersive experience. Notable moments in the platform’s history include a live-streamed performance by Patti Smith to mark the start of 2021 and a single animated sunrise by David Hockney in May of the same year.
To mark the site of the former Rainbow Corner at the junction of Denman Street and Shaftesbury Avenue, the roof design creates the illusion of descending towards the ground. A similar visual effect is achieved at the reception entrance on Sherwood Street. This was accomplished through the use of meticulously designed faience tiles, which mirror the slate roof in both proportion and pattern. These three-dimensional tiles, finished with an opalescent glaze, subtly guide the viewer’s gaze toward the Piccadilly Lights and the vibrant theatre district in the opposite direction.
The design process employed parametric modelling, allowing the team to explore numerous iterations swiftly. This approach facilitated experimentation with gradients of colour and texture, ensuring the tiles near the ground are flatter to integrate seamlessly with the surrounding street facades, while becoming progressively more sculptural as they ascend, blending into the roofline.The Rainbow Corner tiles are hand-formed and fired ceramics, while the white and grey tiles on the Shaftesbury Avenue facade are extruded, showcasing a deliberate contrast in technique and texture.
Finsbury Circus House Fletcher Priest Architects Leaves
The carved feature wall at Finsbury Circus House, designed by Fletcher Priest Architects, is a central element of the building’s reception. To bring the concept to life, we developed an algorithm that transformed a pencil sketch of leaves into a model for the intricate carving. The design sought to seamlessly integrate the greenery of the surrounding Finsbury Circus into the building’s interior, creating a fluid connection between the outdoor environment and the architectural space.
This approach not only enhances the building’s aesthetic appeal but fosters a sense of continuity between nature and the built environment, bringing elements of the natural world indoors and enriching the overall atmosphere of the space.
Olympic Village Poetry installation
The text from Alfred Lord Tennyson’s Ulysses, “To strive, to find, and not to yield” on a wall in the Olympic Village became an inspiration for athletes competing in the London 2012 Games.
Chosen by a distinguished panel, that included among others, Carol Ann Duffy and author Sebastian Faulks, the inscription remained after the Games, as a lasting symbol of perseverance and determination. The Olympic Village was subsequently transformed into new housing, alongside a school and healthcare facilities, and the inscription contributes to the enduring legacy of the community.
55 Old Broad Street Hive Curates Broadworks
Broadworks stands as a prime example of urban transformation, where a new creative hub is included in Fletcher Priest’s repositioning of 55 Old Broad Street in the historic City of London. An existing building is repurposed to host 18 resident artists to create outstanding on-site art. Broadworks is playing a pivotal role in shaping the cultural landscape of the Eastern City.
Hive Curates has collaborated with over 128 creatives and partners including EC BID, UAL MA Biodesign, and DJs for Climate Action, to enhance visibility through a series of engaging events. Partnerships with community groups have enriched the space with cultural activities tied to global events such as London Fashion Week and Black History Month.
Brunel Building James Capper Treadpads
James Capper’s two metal TREADPADS, suspended above the main reception of the Brunel Building, appear to defy gravity, seemingly floating in the tall, airy space. Purpose-made for the building, these sculptures were first showcased at London’s Frieze Art Fair in Regent’s Park in 2018, before being installed in the Brunel Building.
Capper is known for creating mobile sculptures, designed as functional machinery, to be used across various terrains. The TREADPADS are replicas of the feet fabricated for the hydraulic legs of Mudskipper, an amphibious walking ship that Capper restored and custom-adapted as part of his Offshore Division of work.
Central Saint Giles Steven Gontarski
Ob 8
Steven Gontarski is a sculptor from Philadelphia, USA, renowned for his work, which has been showcased in both solo and group exhibitions at prestigious institutions such as the Institute of Contemporary Arts, Kunsthalle Wien, London’s White Cube Gallery, and the Groninger Museum. In 2008, Gontarski created Ob 8, a striking 5-metre-tall abstract sculpture made from painted and lacquered glass-fibre reinforced plastic. With its organic, fluid form, the piece has been described as “recognisable but not identifiable,” evoking a range of interpretations, from clouds and organs to oceans and smoke rings. The sculpture is now located in the public open space at the centre of Renzo Piano and Fletcher Priest Architects Central Saint Giles complex in London.
Central Saint Giles Rebecca Warren William
Rebecca Jane Warren is an artist and sculptor, originally from Pinhoe, Exeter. Known for her innovative works in clay and bronze, as well as her carefully arranged vitrines.
One of her most notable works, William, features a fluid anonymous figure, that speaks to the “ever-shifting present” rather than the past, offering a stark contrast to the traditional qualities often found in public space. This piece exemplifies Warren’s distinctive approach, which consistently explores contemporary themes and challenges conventional sculptural forms.
55 Gresham Street
Dijan Malla - Fletcher Priest Grasshoppers
At 55 Gresham Street, a series of cast metal grasshoppers are subtly embedded within the architecture, drawing inspiration from the coat of arms of Sir Thomas Gresham. These sculptural elements pay tribute to Gresham’s enduring legacy in the City of London.
The use of cast metal and glass across the façades reflects the historic significance of the Guilds in this area, while the grasshopper, Gresham’s personal emblem, symbolises his prominent role in 16th-century London. A key figure in Tudor finance, Gresham founded the first Royal Exchange in 1565, still commemorated today by the gilded grasshopper weathervane that crowns the current building.
The grasshoppers at 55 Gresham Street were originally modelled in clay by Dijan Malla of Fletcher Priest Architects as terracotta reliefs, each approximately 300mm in length, before being cast in metal and integrated into the building’s façade panels seamlessly blending historical reference with contemporary design.
Angel Court Sarah Barker Last of Light (3 Needles)
Sara Barker’s Last of Light (3 Needles), is one of the largest works of her career to date and serves as the focal point of the Angel Court piazza. The sculpture draws on visual motifs inspired by the area’s anecdotal history, weaving together abstract forms with subtle references to local narratives.
Barker’s distinctive approach, combining drawing, painting, and sculpture results in delicate yet complex structures that appear both architectural and lyrical. In Last of Light (3 Needles), these qualities are amplified in scale, inviting viewers to engage with the work from multiple perspectives as they move through the space.
Angel Court Simon Callery
Wiltshire Modulor Double Void
Cadmium Red Deep
Inside the building, Simon Callery presents a related pair of large-scale paintings in what marks his first public realm commission. Wiltshire Modulor Double Void and Wiltshire
Modulor Double Void Cadmium Red Deep each stand at nearly five metres tall and are installed on opposite sides of the atrium, echoing the formal symmetry of the surrounding architecture. These works exemplify Callery’s interest in the physicality of painting, with their bold forms and deep cuts creating a sculptural presence that engages directly with the spatial qualities of the building.
Sedley Place
Tim Head and Tom Lomax
At Sedley Place, artists Tim Head and Tom Lomax were commissioned to create site-specific artworks that reflect the building’s contemporary architectural identity and its place within the evolving urban fabric.
Tim Head’s work engages with light, perception, and material, incorporating industrial and reflective surfaces to create immersive visual experiences. Tom Lomax, known for his sculptural practice, brings a narrative and figurative dimension to the space.
Luton Arts and Media Centre
Tim Head Artezium ‘light rain’
Installed at the Artezium within the Luton Arts and Media Centre, Light Rain is a striking five-storey artwork by British artist Tim Head. Created using roadside reflectors and prismatic materials, the piece interacts dynamically with light, producing a subtle yet immersive blue glow that shifts throughout the day.
Commissioned as a key visual element of the building’s design, Light Rain complements the centre’s flexible, multimedia spaces — including theatre, cinema, and exhibition areas and contributes to the site’s reputation for architectural innovation.
111 Cannon Street The London Stone
The London Stone is a historic monument located at 111 Cannon Street in the City of London. This irregular block of oolitic limestone is thought to be a surviving fragment of a once larger structure that stood for centuries on the south side of the street.
First recorded by name around 1100, the London Stone’s origins and original function remain the subject of speculation. Some scholars suggest it may date back to Roman Londinium, though definitive evidence is lacking. While various theories have surrounded its symbolic or ritualistic significance over the centuries, modern claims of occult or religious meaning are unsubstantiated.
Brunel Building Julian Opie
Image credits
Adelina Iliev — 23
Chris Gascoigne VIEW Pictures — 232
Credit_ROMURPHY_HIRES-77 — 16
CIRCA - Piccadilly Lights - David Hockney - Courtesy of the artist — 17
Dirk Lindner — 4-5, 8-9, 21, 25, 34
FPA Jaxon Kelly — 6-7, 10-11
FPA Joseph Sweeney — 15
FPA Nick Worley — 22
James A Smith — 11, 26-27, 30-31
Jason Hawkes — 18-19
Hive Curates — 24
Hufton + Crow — 29
Tim Head — 33
Production Team
Caterina Izzo
Ed Williams
Jaxon Kelly
James A Smith
Joe Sweeney
John Robins
Shafia Motaleb
Stephanie Kukulka
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