At the junction of Wigmore Street and Marylebone Lane is a striking piece of modern art hanging within the frame of a new office block.
This set of massive metal perforated plates is Quadrilinear by the London-based artist, Lee Simmons and is both framed by the brickwork but also then pokes above it as if suspended rather than constrained.
It’s been made from several sheets of stainless steel that were then cut to create the jagged appearance, and each layer was then bolted together to create a deep forest of steel hanging from the building. The steel fabrication was done by Littlehampton based LWL.
The artwork is a 15 metres tall steel Curly Wurly.
It looks flat from a distance, but up close you can see a very subtle curve to the design, which gives it a range of reflections in the setting sun.
The idea behind the placement of the artwork was to point of reference on the corner in the same way that buildings would often cap their corners with towers and turrets. Here the sheets of steel act as the focal point for the junction of two main roads.
How could I have missed this shiny thing this weekend? I was just there having lunch at Comptoir Libanais before taking in the exhibitions at the Photographers Gallery. I guess anytime I’m in this area now, I’m just bereft at the loss of the Welbeck Street Car Park and probably mope around, eyes cast downward like Eeyore.