Rainbow Artwork
The proposed Cinimod Studio sculpture is an ode to the continuing connection that Spitalfields has with the textiles industry, and a celebration of the creativity abundant in the people working in the area.
The influx of the Huguenot refugees to Spitalfields in the late 17th century established the area’s long associations with the silk industry, as the French immigrants brought with them the weaving skills that would distinguish the fabrics and clothes produced in the area. Irish immigrant workers arrived to contribute to the booming business and the resulting tensions and incidents, such as the 1769 Spitalfield Riots, serve as a reminder to portray how important the industry was to the day-to-day life of the community at the time. Despite the decline of silk-weaving in the late 19th century, Jewish tailors and the current Bangladeshi communities have continued the region’s attachment to the textiles industry. Today, the market and the quarter surrounding Brick Lane are honeypots for local independent designers to make their mark on the fashion on London’s streets.
The sculpture is composed of three elements – 2 needle-like structures towering over a concrete ‘cocoon.’ The needles serve separate purposes – the taller yellow needle provides light. Using energy efficient super-bright LEDS, it provides a spotlight at night, in the otherwise unlit square. The smaller blue needle intermittently provides a burst of mist, initially conceived to discharge on the hour. The sculpture is an interactive piece working at two time cycles. When combined, the light is refracted and reflected off the back of the water droplets of the hourly mist – the effect created is an ‘artificial’ rainbow. On a more continual cycle, light from the primary needle and the sun is refracted through crystals embedded in the eyes of both needles, to produce streaks of diffracted colours on the fabric of Bishops Square.
The rainbow describes the basic visual phenomenon we enjoy every time we look at a piece of silk – the brilliant sheen that characterizes the fabric. It is the triangular prism-like structure of silk fibres that allows it to refract light at different angles, producing its unique appearance. Rainbows are a natural optical phenomenon, but require the correct environmental conditions for it to be viewed, and as a result, is not often seen in the setting of central London. However, they can be effortlessly recreated at home with a spray of water on a sunny afternoon. The sculpture attempts to recreate this event, and with precise construction, will provide a regular opportunity for people to gather and view it.
The rainbow is able to be enjoyed from the vantage point created by the sculpture’s seating centrepiece – taking the form of a silkworm cocoon, which acts as the starting point of the production line. It is finished in white concrete and textured, and a clear lacquer provides it with a shine to match the silk fibres it describes. The cocoon is also envisioned as an interactive piece – with embedded fibre-optics providing location-specific coloured lighting, activated by pressure sensors. The cocoon glows, and appears to have a heartbeat. It attracts people and changes colour when they sit on it.
As a practice, Cinimod Studio has a track record of producing high-quality and reliable interactive lighting installations. From previous experience with similarly ambitious projects, we are confident that the piece is appropriate for the budget and the time constraints suggested. Aware that its interactive nature is its main attraction, the design is kept intentionally simple, and its intervention on the square’s framework is kept relatively minimal.
We believe that the sculpture will be enjoyed by all visitors to Spitalfields, during the day and night. The phenomenal aspect of the piece will hopefully astound viewers, whilst proving educational in relating to them a small piece of history of the borough. The attraction to people of all ages, we feel, is an important to aspect of the sculpture, and to the Spitalfields area as a whole. We envisage that the sculpture will provide an opportunity to remind people of the area’s significant historical contribution to the city, to counterbalance the financial district’s recent growth into the area.
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Vote on-line for this proposal : http://surveys.clarityinmarketing.com/vote
With special thanks to Tetsuro Nagata