First it was the Tate Modern, now The Wapping Project adds to the conversion of industrial power stations for modern art.
Ever wondered what to do with your leftover cabling? Jane Prophet has a novel suggestion. Her art installation, 'Conductor', at the Wapping Project, east London (above) uses 120 lengths of glowing electroluminescent cable in a display that is said to "reflect the past and future functions of the power station".

Hanging from what was the boiler house ceiling in this former hydraulic power station, the five-core, 3 mm diameter cables are arranged on a grid layout. The floor of the room has been flooded so the illuminated cables appear to stretch into its depth, the scene being interrupted at intervals only by the deliberate rippling of the water using a surface vibrator pump.

The £4 million first phase of the project, designed by architect Shed 54, involved the stripping of the building to its 1890 structural form, and the metamorphosis of the boiler room and filter stations into a showcase for modern art. The second phase of the project, due to start in late 2001, will add height to the building with a new clerestory and roof above the engine house.

'Conductor' was specially created for the official opening on 14 October "to mark the power station's transformation from industrial building to centre for the arts" and is one of several displays.

Sight of the installations certainly seems to indicate that The Wapping Project will be an art power of the future, so if you've any spare cabling...

Source

Electrical and Mechanical Contractor