Watts all this, then? Suggs flicks the switch on light fountain artwork in Archway
Published: 5th November, 2010
by PETER GRUNER
SINGER Suggs switched on a new artwork, sparking a spectacular 30ft fountain of light high above Archway Tube station on Monday night.
The light sculpture, The Big Rock Candy Fountain, by artist David Batchelor, contains 3,000 brightly coloured fairground-style lights flashing rapidly to simulate movement – and is visible from the street, passing buses and surrounding homes and offices.
Addressing a large crowd who had gathered for the event, Suggs declared: “Welcome to Archway, the most beautiful town in the world.”
The singer explained how he was born and brought up close to Archway.
“I love this part of north London,” he said. “Archway is much-undervalued and needs a little care and attention. Perhaps this brilliant sculpture will help to put it on the map.”
Mr Batchelor said the project has taken two years to get off the ground.
“People like it,” he said. “It adds a little bit of the West End to Archway.
“While Archway may not be everyone’s idea of paradise, it is a great area with a vibrant mix of people.
“But there is a kind of darkness around the Archway Tower, which I hope the fountain will help to dispel.
“The work is an invitation to look again at an area that is too often overlooked.”
The light fountain will stay switched on until March 27, when British summertime officially begins.
It has been organised by Anna Hart, who runs Archway Investigations and Responses (Air), a teaching and commissioning project at nearby Byam Shaw School of Art, in Elthorne Road.
It is primarily being funded by the Arts Council, with some money from Islington Council and other public bodies.