It’s been all over the news, but I finally took a look at Alex Chinneck’s levitating building in Covent Garden last week.
The artist has three building-sized works in London at the moment, including a melting house in Bankside, and the upside down building in Southwark. Here in Covent Garden, he levitated one instead.
It’s actually pretty obvious how the top half of the building floats when you get up close, and is hardly the sort of magic trick to have the artist inducted in the Magician’s Circle. However, even as I stood there, a few people marvelled at how it was done while I was silently screaming — look at the ****** over there, it’s bloody obvious.
Technicality aside though, it’s a work of art and one that seems to have caught the popular imagination.
It’s also one that is difficult to photograph, as lots of people like standing in front of it and having their photos taken standing next to it.
No need to go all “wanky art speak” on it, just ignore the thing in the corner doing the technical stuff and just laugh at the simple joy of a floating building in the middle of London. Art that gives joy and doesn’t need contemplating. The best sort.
The building will float over Covent Garden until the end of the month.
Security were busy chasing people away from standing on it, but was still long enough to confirm that it is for sale. He disappeared chasing someone else before offering any vendor details.