New Permanent Art Installation Loop Unveiled in London

Photography ©Mark Cocksedge

The studio has debuted its latest public art commission inside the lobby of The Rowe, a groundbreaking new sustainable office space in London’s Whitechapel. 

The installation, entitled Loop, pays tribute to the textile and garment history of the surrounding East London neighbourhood, filling the building’s vertical space with rhythmic loops of metallic fabric. At the centre, a single loop invites visitors to take a seat.

Although minimal in appearance, the artwork is underpinned by complex engineering. Every single line is balanced, calibrated and tensioned to appear like a thin piece of metal. In actuality it’s an innovative, hybrid mix of structural and decorative fabric, developed specifically for this project.

“The gesture of the piece is fluidity,” says Paul Cocksedge. “It’s based on an instinctive sketch, created as an immediate reaction to the space, and then designed to incorporate the human scale. The piece balances weight and structure with a visual lightness, reminiscent of the outstretched wings of a butterfly, or the arches of a cathedral.”