‘Wow factor’ sculpture aims to brighten up Marble Arch

 
Talking point: an image of how the leaf sculpture could look next to the new Marble Arch Tower
Russell Lynch13 February 2015

A giant leaf sculpture is planned for Marble Arch to put the “wow factor” into the western end of Oxford Street, the Evening Standard can reveal.

The installation, by British artist Lee Simmons, will feature five stems up to 20 metres long, each with coloured leaves and illuminated at night.

Called “Circadian Tongues”, it has been commissioned by developer Almacantar, which is due to start overhauling the eyesore Sixties-built Marble Arch Tower later this year.

When building work is finished, the sculpture will take its place opposite an existing Marble Arch landmark, Nic Fiddian-Green’s bronze sculpture of a horse’s head, called Still Water.

Almacantar’s submission to Westminster council said the design was intended to “introduce a wow factor to the setting on the corner of Oxford Street and the Edgware Road”. It will submit detailed designs for the sculpture in the summer.

Simmons was also commissioned by the Howard de Walden Estate to design a gate for the new facade of its 77 Wimpole Street offices in Marylebone built from 1,100 individually cast aluminium columns. But a source close to the developer said the Royal College of Art graduate has “done nothing before on this scale”.

Previous proposals for giant petals at the Marble Arch site by US sculptor Dale Chihuly — designer of the V&A’s Rotunda chandelier — were abandoned due to technical challenges.

Westminster council has been keen for a prominent artwork to mark the western end of Oxford Street, and the source said: “We hope this encourages people to walk down further, because at the moment they pretty much stop at Marble Arch Tube station.”

The new Marble Arch Tower has been recommended for approval by Westminster planning officers, although the planning committee has to give final consent for the £450 million redevelopment next week.

Simmons’s sculpture will be attached to the shorter of two buildings planned for the site, which will also feature an 18-storey apartment block. The Odeon cinema will be rebuilt.

Almacantar chief executive Mike Hussey said: “This gateway location overlooking the finest of the Royal Parks deserves a world-class development.”

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