By Savithri Rodrigo
London (Commonwealth Union)_London’s King’s Cross has just installed its newest showpiece in its Granary Square winter installation series – a spectacular totemic structure which holds pride of place in one of London’s most creative spaces. “elsewhere: A place to think about the world”, is an installation by Berlin-based experimental art and architecture practice raumlabor. ‘elsewhere’ was placed in the Square a week ago and will be in exhibit until the end of February 2023.
The 33-foot-high structure manipulates light and air, inviting audiences to imagine shared surroundings while sitting outside and spending time in company. Based on the fundamentals of ‘elsewhere’ – a space that contemplates the world’s beauty and complexity, the installation asks people to understand their immediate surroundings and their own individual space in the world. It requests the world’s people to work together and find new ways to ignite change.
At the core of ‘elsewhere’ is a dream machine which creates a flickering light forming kaleidoscopic patterns to stimulate the imagination. Added to the installation are flags which use the wind to gain momentum replicating heat maps on the narrative of a changing planet and deep water. The centerpiece could be the red sphere which pulsates gradually through the center of the structure in a real time manifestation of togetherness in time.
King’s Cross have commissioned a series of winter installations and festive trees to promote art and culture in the neighbourhood for about 4 years now. The continuous thread in all these series is a need to ask questions, find solutions and work on the fundamentals of uniting the world. Previous installations have included those by Liliane Lijn in 2021, with her installation Temenos, architect Sam Jacobs who put out the Electric Nemeton Tree the previous years, the King’s X’mas by David Batchelor in 2020 and Tatham & O’Sullivan whose installation was based on the question, Does the iterative fit?
The thought behind the commissioning is that in these times of uncertainty, raumlabor’s ‘elsewhere: a place to think about the world’, asks the world to pause and reflect how together we can be the change.
The award winning architectural firm’s name means ‘space laboratory’ and is a collective of architects based in Berlin who came together at the fall of the Berlin Wall. Their approach is playful and unrestrained but prods a constant stream of questions that influence and transforms the landscape.
King’s Cross is home to 67 acres of outstanding architecture, hip restaurants and a vibrant cultural crossroad, with its industrial past inspiring 50 new and repurposed buildings including in Granary Square. The annual Christmas tree installation since its inception reflects that contemporary space and was always founded on cutting edge innovation and creativity, which has evolved into a winter installation that recognizes the diversity of its local communities.
