Temple station gets a bold new bit of artwork on its rooftop Artists' Garden.
Ever wandered onto the flat roof above Temple underground? In a parallel universe, this is the northern end of the Garden Bridge. In our universe, the verdant span never got built. But the space has been put to good use as an "Artists' Garden".
The latest incumbent of said garden is this set of tubular sculptures by Holly Hendry. Called "Slackwater", the installation is an "immense sculptural entanglement" with "references to the abstract rhythms of the Thames and liquid movements within the human body".
It's an impressive sight, built from industrial ducting and electrical spools and covering about half of the rooftop plaza. Pipes braid, interlace and commingle in an industrial cross-stitch. It's like the Super Mario Brothers won the lottery and built their dream home.
The tubes above echo the tubes below. The artwork sits above the Embankment, built by the Victorians to carry a similar tangle of railways, gas pipes and sewers. The artist's blurb offers yet another site-specific weaving allusion. The work is located in Temple, and a "temple" just happens to be part of a loom.
Oh what a tangled web we weave, with ducts and pipes you won't believe.
Slackwater by Holly Hendry and arranged by theCoLAB is free to visit in the Artists' Garden on top of Temple underground. It'll be in situ until September 2024.
