London-based artist Kate Davis has been commissioned by Docklands Light Railway to develop a series of artworks for Langdon Park Station.
The new station at Langdon Park, designed by Consarc Architects, presents an exciting opportunity for an artist to develop a permanent commission within the station and surrounding environment.
The DLR selected Kate Davis for the commission from a shortlist of artists, inspired by her previous work and by her proposed approach for Langdon Park Station, which was to draw on the local context and the experiences of people who will use the station every day. In her work she expresses her interest in built and natural landscapes, and the relationships between the made and the found, the analysed and the intuited. One of her main concerns over the last few years has been to look at how language and image work together particularly in works in the public domain.
Davis comments:
"My aim has been to create a complementary art intervention within the striking architectural identity of Langdon Park Station that acknowledges and responds to the station's function and how it is used by the passengers and locals."
Artists had been invited to respond to the design of the station as a regenerative symbol and landmark. The subtly curved bridge connects the green space of Langdon Park with a Piazza, and the distinctive lift towers function as beacons, announcing the station entrances and creating a visual identity for the station visible from Chrisp Street and across Langdon Park. Kate Davis's proposal presents elements carefully chosen to work together conceptually, and to enhance and enliven the visually striking architectural elements of Langdon Park Station, complementing and integrating with the overall design.
Three distinct yet interrelated elements comprise the commission: a poetic text work applied to the canopy and bridge glazing; a 'drawing' set within the paving encouraging a visual association with location and place of living; and a sculptural form visible from the platform.
Kate worked with members of the local communities to develop her ideas for the commission, through a series of workshops that focused on themes and starting points of 'a sense of belonging' and 'the journey' - real or imagined. The participants were asked to bring a line of text and its source relating to the subject of 'journey' and by selecting and combining words and phrases, new texts were created. These became Kate's inspiration for the phrases that will be produced in vinyl lettering and applied to the glazing and canopy of the bridge. The lettering will be hand written to imply an individual's voice. Words and phrases can be read, but also function as visual images. Kate's intention is that a new vinyl text could be created every two years, inspired by local people. In this way local communities will have a continual investment in their station and environs, and the social changes in the community can be reflected. Her 'drawing' is composed of a series of studs set into the paving which form a composite image when viewed from the vantage point of the bridge or from the proposed surrounding high-level buildings. It will extend across the north and south side of the bridge and so unify both sides of the station. Kate likens the individual studs and their relationship to the larger 'drawing' to individual members of a community who come together to form the whole.
The third element of Kate Davis's trio of language, image and object is a sculpture, placed in the landscaped area between the platform and the park. These three art components collectively represent three different ways of experiencing and understanding the world: through language, image and object.
The commission will be installed at Langdon Park in 2008.
The artist and DLR would like to thank all those who have participated in the workshops to date.
