Much like architecture, people love to hate public art. Face it, it’s easy to hate. Those obvious eyesores scattered through parks and downtown areas are usually commissioned to get rid of leftover government funds at the end of the fiscal year. But this year I saw some interesting public art that has actually swayed me. The London Design Festival commissioned temporary installations by a couple of heavy hitters like Zaha Hadid and Amanda Levete. The outcomes are eye-catching, adventurous and even practical.
Zaha Hadid’s installation at the South Bank is an in-between project straddling both sculpture and usable furniture. It’s composed of a 150 precast concrete blocks bolted together to create a polished, repetitive and fluid form which evokes a sensuality not often evoked from concrete.