Plantation Lane

Plantation Place is an innovative work of contemporary architecture in the heart of the City of London. Within the context of this new development is an artwork that forms part of a carefully arranged architectural mix of new and old. The illuminated screen of Time and Tide, a collaboration between Arup Associates and Simon Patterson - his first permanently sited installation in a public place - is a welcome mediation between the 'ancient' city of Wren's church and the modern development of Plantation Place. Plantation Lane: Time and Tide celebrates this significant new art work and highlights the relationship between architecture and art within the public realm. It is beautifully illustrated in colour, with photographs and drawings depicting the effects of a gigantic lunar illustration within this linear, narrow lane, surrounded by the ancient history of London and the corporate architecture of London's financial district. Plantation Lane: Time and Tide will inspire developers, architects, artists - in fact anyone who believes that the fusion of art and architecture within the public realm is an essential part of the creation of high quality environments. Jay Merrick, Architecture Correspondent of The Independent, looks at the significance of Plantation Lane within the wider genre of public art, and discusses the challenge for developers and architects to provide a great deal more than folds and cubes of architectural wallpaper composed of glass, steel and ferro-concrete; Declan O'Carroll, Principal at Arup Associates and leader of the conceptual design of Plantation Lane, reflects on the collaborative process between the architects and Patterson, and considers how this giant, luminous, planar artwork sits snugly within the lane as a welcome mediation between the 'ancient' city of Wren's church, and the modern development of Plantation Place; and Andrea Schlieker, curator for British Land's public spaces, places Time and Tide in the context of Patterson's wider oeuvre, and compares the installation, his first on such a grand scale, with some of his previous work, such as The Great Bear.