If it were possible to hitchhike to Great Britain, I think I might stick out my thumb — if anything, just to bear witness to a new public sculpture that has been dropping jaws in jolly olde London towne.
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Artist Luke Jerram has dubbed his creation Aeolus, and it looks as good as it sounds. It's an arch made out of 310 polished steel tubes that funnel light and wind to create a multisensory experience for those who stand within the sculpture's hollow core.
Perhaps an unintentional nod to the city's rich tradition of punk rock, from a distance, the sculpture looks like a giant metallic Mohawk spiking out of the grass.
Actually it's a massive Aeolian harp, thus the name. An Aeloian harp is a musical instrument "played" by the breeze and named after the ancient Greek god of wind, Aeolus.
Jerram's version boasts strings between the giant tubes that vibrate. Skins on top of the tubes channel vibrations down the shaft, which gives visitors an ethereal-sounding experience while standing underneath the arch.
"Aeolus is a giant stringed musical instrument, an acoustic and optical pavilion designed to make audible the silent shifting patterns of the wind and to visually amplify the ever changing sky," Jerram explains on his website.
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The sculpture is currently on display at the Canary Wharf in London until May 10. Interested buyers, take heed. Jerram is looking to sell the piece once its exhibition is over.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go have a serious conversation with my bookkeeper because Aeolus would look totally awesome and totally tubular in my front yard.
Credit: Richard Deane
