Giant new public artwork opens in Brent Cross Town

This morning Brent Cross Town has unveiled a colourful ‘wrap’ around its new substation, making the electrical generation building a major piece of art and new exciting

landmark. The artwork, a unique multi-coloured and striped structure encasing the substation, bearing the phrase “Here we come, Here we rise and shine”, has been designed by

London-based artist Lakwena in collaboration with Bermondsey-based architects IF_DO. The piece is set to become an iconic part of Brent Cross Town’s landscape: not only is

it 21-metre-high and 52-metre-long, making it taller than the Angel of the North, but it is estimated that as many as six million people will see the work every year as they pass

it by rail and by road. Sadiq Khan said: “Lakwena has created an incredible artwork that brings together creativity and sustainability and will be enjoyed by millions of

people. London is a world class cultural capital and this major addition to our public realm in the heart of Brent Cross is another example of how we’re working together to build

a better London for everyone.” IF_DO. have tried to add a sense of movement to the substation by using panels and bands inspired by artwork such as the famous Horse in

Motion series by Eadweard Muybridge as well as other roadside constructions. Sarah Castle, Director at IF_DO, said: “It is rare to have the opportunity to work on a project

of the scale and ambition of this, and to be able to realise it with such conceptual purity. Combining architecture, infrastructure and art, it has been a wonderfully

collaborative process from the start, with IF_DO manipulating form and shape, and Lakwena exploring colour and poetry.”