Simon Heijdens inaugurates Now Gallery in London with a kaleidoscopic installation
For anyone else, throwing shade would be considered a negative. But Simon Heijdens gives it a noteworthy new meaning. His latest work, 'Shade', throws light and shadow onto the sinuous glass façade of Now Gallery, recently opened in North Greenwich, London. Heijdens designed an intelligent skin for the gallery's seven-metre walls, with sensors that react to the movement of the wind outside. It acts as a kaleidoscope, translating the random pattern of the elements into a light spectacle viewed from the indoor refuge.
Heijdens, celebrated for his dynamic, spontaneous machinations, was a natural choice for Now's inaugural exhibition. The gallery, designed by Marks Barfield Architects as part of a regeneration scheme around North Greenwich, commissions work that uses the building itself as a canvas. This installation follows on from Heijdens' recent project 'Phare no.1-9', comprising a series of hand-blown vessels, in which drawings appear in mid-water and are projected into the space.
Heijdens (pictured) designed an intelligent skin for the gallery's seven-metre walls, with sensors that react to the movement of the wind outside. It acts as a kaleidoscope, translating the random pattern of the elements into a light spectacle viewed from the indoor refuge.
ADDRESS
Now Gallery
The Gateway Pavilions
Peninsula Square
Greenwich Peninsula
London SE10 0SQ
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
Based in London, Ellen Himelfarb travels widely for her reports on architecture and design. Her words appear in The Times, The Telegraph, The World of Interiors, and The Globe and Mail in her native Canada. She has worked with Wallpaper* since 2006.
-
A tale of two Audis: the A5 saloon goes up against the A6 Avant e-tronIs the sun setting on Audi’s ICE era, or does the company’s e-tron technology still need to improve?
-
Inside Christian de Portzamparc’s showstopping House of Dior Beijing: ‘sculptural, structural, alive’Daven Wu travels to Beijing to discover Dior’s dramatic new store, a vast temple to fashion that translates haute couture into architectural form
-
A music player for the mindful, Sleevenote shuns streaming in favour of focused listeningDevised by musician Tom Vek, Sleevenote is a new music player that places artist intent and the lost art of record collecting at the forefront of the experience
-
Nadia Lee Cohen distils a distant American memory into an unflinching new photo book‘Holy Ohio’ documents the British photographer and filmmaker’s personal journey as she reconnects with distant family and her earliest American memories
-
Out of office: The Wallpaper* editors’ picks of the weekIt’s been a week of escapism: daydreams of Ghana sparked by lively local projects, glimpses of Tokyo on nostalgic film rolls, and a charming foray into the heart of Christmas as the festive season kicks off in earnest
-
Ed Ruscha’s foray into chocolate is sweet, smart and very AmericanArt and chocolate combine deliciously in ‘Made in California’, a project from the artist with andSons Chocolatiers
-
Inside the work of photographer Seydou Keïta, who captured portraits across West Africa‘Seydou Keïta: A Tactile Lens’, an exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum, New York, celebrates the 20th-century photographer
-
Out of office: The Wallpaper* editors’ picks of the weekFrom sumo wrestling to Singaporean fare, medieval manuscripts to magnetic exhibitions, the Wallpaper* team have traversed the length and breadth of culture in the capital this week
-
María Berrío creates fantastical worlds from Japanese-paper collages in New YorkNew York-based Colombian artist María Berrío explores a love of folklore and myth in delicate and colourful works on paper
-
Out of office: the Wallpaper* editors’ picks of the weekAs we approach Frieze, our editors have been trawling the capital's galleries. Elsewhere: a 'Wineglass' marathon, a must-see film, and a visit to a science museum
-
June Leaf’s New York survey captures a life in motionJune Leaf made art in many forms for over seven decades, with an unstoppable energy and fierce appetite leading her to rationalise life in her own terms.