The Economist Plaza
25 St. James's Street
nearest tube: Green Park or Piccadilly Circus
SW1A 1HG
London
London
United Kingdom
Europe
p: +44 020 7831 1243
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w: www.contempart.org.uk/economist/index.htm
SPARKS, 'Convocation', curated by the Contemporary Art Society
Looking down from the heights of The Economist offices, a green carpet invites you to come out and take a break. This pathway of artificial grass, snaking across the plaza, suggests anything but work. People gather on it to eat lunch and chat. Those scurrying through the plaza slow down in the relaxed atmosphere.
This sculptural installation is a free-standing construction made from 40m of artificial grass, which acts as a comfortable resting point. The formality of the title refers more to the space than to the installation itself. Far from being merely something to look at, the work interacts with its surroundings. While office blocks are remininscent of the scheduled structures imposed by corporate life, Convocation calls people to come together without restriction.
The Economist is part of the big picture, as a commentator on the forces that inform and direct the course of societies. The grass symbolises the small picture, where a chance interaction between two people can be just as important.
The Artists: Sparks is a collective of artists & designers based in London. The group formed in 1999, has worked regularly together on a range of projects in diverse media. Most recently they installed an 8m watercolour, called Epitaph, in a church in Shoreditch as part of a local festival.
Exhibition open daily from 10.00 - 18.00 at The Economist Plaza 25 St James's Street London SW1A 1HA
