London’s Canary Wharf has commissioned British light artist Liz West to create Hymn to the Big Wheel for their dazzling natural light exhibition Summer Lights. Hymn to the Big Wheel is an immersive architectural pavilion exploring the illusion and physicality of colour and natural light in urban space.
Consisting of a multi-coloured octagon nestled within a larger octagonal shape, this pavilion artwork encourages the viewer to reposition and align themselves to differing colour-ways to see a changing scope of colours mixing before their eyes. Constructed using transparent coloured sheets, the work prompts the playful movement of visitors to explore the work in context with their surroundings.
“This saturate installation is an energising beacon of colour that radiates across the space it inhabits, creating an intriguing interplay of coloured shadows for people to discover,” says Liz West. “The viewer becomes performer within the work as they move around the inside and outside of the structure to explore the changing optics and colour-ways mixing within the installation. The chosen jewel-like colours create diverse mixes and blends when viewed from different angles from around the installation, as well as producing a sundial effect by casting multi-coloured shadows on the asphalt.”
This captivating exhibition of outdoor artworks all celebrate the phenomena of sunlight. Canary Wharf has been transformed into an optical playground this summer, as it welcomes new dynamic artworks onto the Estate for the launch of Summer Lights. Exploding into life from sunrise, the outdoor exhibition of optical installations will use a combination of the sun and colour to project and celebrate light in its most natural form.
Hymn to the Big Wheel by Liz West, is a new temporary outdoor immersive pavilion commissioned by Canary Wharf Estate. The work will be on display from midsummer’s day until 21 August 2021.