The World Has Been Empty

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“The World Has Been Empty Since the Romans” by Ian Hamilton Finlay, 1985
Tate Modern
Bankside, Southwark
London, September 2003

“The World Has Been Empty Since the Romans 1985 is a long and extremely heavy stone sculpture that resembles the ruin of a classical frieze and hangs from a series of steel chains. The text of its title – ‘THE WORLD HAS BEEN EMPTY SINCE THE ROMANS’ – is inscribed across its front in a traditional-looking serif typeface. The sculpture is made from six pieces of Bath stone, which is a form of limestone, and the faces of the stones are quite smooth, but are marked by what look like signs of weathering. They have jagged tops, bottoms and sides and the inscribed text is often broken up by joins between the different slabs, as well as what look like missing sections of stone. There is no fixed height from which the work must be hung, so that in some exhibitions it has been presented well above head height and in others it has been suspended only a short distance from the ground. However, all of the stones are hung at the same level as each other every time it is installed.” (The World Has Been Empty Since the Romans, Tate)

LSE Library ramp

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Spiral stepped ramp
British Library of Political and Economic Science
Portugal Street, Holborn
London, September 2003

“The library underwent a £35 million building redevelopment in 2000, overseen by Foster and Partners. The building was officially reopened on 27 November 2001 by The Princess Royal and was commended in the 2002 Civic Trust Awards - given to outstanding examples of architecture and environmental design in major city areas of the UK, taking into account the benefit each project brings to its local area as well as the quality of its design. A further redevelopment in summer 2007, saw the expansion of the Course Collection by 60%, a new help desk, more study spaces and an increase in self-service facilities. The Lionel Robbins Building covers 20,000 square metres, and offers 1,700 study places, including 450 networked PCs and 226 laptop drop-in points. A light-filled atrium, named after Michael Peacock and spiral stepped ramp culminate at the top in a partially glazed dome which has been precisely angled to maximise daylight with minimal solar glare. A reflecting panel on the roof also helps to direct sunlight to the floors below. The dome and other windows respond automatically according to the temperature in the building; ventilating it naturally.” (British Library of Political and Economic Science, Wikipedia)

LSE Library Atrium

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Atrium
British Library of Political and Economic Science
Portugal Street, Holborn
London, September 2003

“The library underwent a £35 million building redevelopment in 2000, overseen by Foster and Partners. The building was officially reopened on 27 November 2001 by The Princess Royal and was commended in the 2002 Civic Trust Awards - given to outstanding examples of architecture and environmental design in major city areas of the UK, taking into account the benefit each project brings to its local area as well as the quality of its design. A further redevelopment in summer 2007, saw the expansion of the Course Collection by 60%, a new help desk, more study spaces and an increase in self-service facilities. The Lionel Robbins Building covers 20,000 square metres, and offers 1,700 study places, including 450 networked PCs and 226 laptop drop-in points. A light-filled atrium, named after Michael Peacock and spiral stepped ramp culminate at the top in a partially glazed dome which has been precisely angled to maximise daylight with minimal solar glare. A reflecting panel on the roof also helps to direct sunlight to the floors below. The dome and other windows respond automatically according to the temperature in the building; ventilating it naturally.” (British Library of Political and Economic Science, Wikipedia)

Stretch limousine

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Stretch limousine
Leadenhall Street
City of London
London, September 2003

Helical walkway

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Helical walkway
City Hall by Foster and Partners, 2002
The Queen's Walk, Southwark
London, September 2003

Tower Bridge from City Hall

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Tower Bridge from City Hall
London Inner Ring Road
Tower Hamlets / Southwark
London, September 2003

Blaine's crane

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David Blaine's “Above the Below”
Potters Fields Park
Southwark
London, September 2003

“On September 5, 2003, Blaine began an endurance stunt in which he was sealed inside a transparent Plexiglas case. The case was suspended 30 feet (9.1 metres) in the air next to Potters Fields Park on the south bank of the River Thames in London, and measured 3 feet (0.9 metres) by 7 feet (2.1 metres) by 7 feet (2.1 metres). A webcam was installed inside the case so that viewers could observe his progress. The stunt lasted 44 days, during which Blaine drank 1.2 US gallons (4.5 litres) of water per day and did not eat. The stunt was the subject of public interest and media attention, The Times reported that ‘1,614 articles in the British press have made reference to the exploit.’” (David Blaine, Wikipedia)