bankside

SS Robin being towed upriver in June 2008 The SS Robin, a 19th century vessel believed to be the oldest existing coastal cargo steamer, will return to London following its restoration in Lowestoft. The Bow Creek-built ship, which was towed out from its berth in …

This extraordinary structure is nothing less than a simulated Mars colony…in Southwark. The idea was proposed in the 1980s by Michael Young, the man behind the Open University and the Consumers’ Association. Disillusioned with Reagan’s Strategic Defence Initiative, Young campaigned for the peaceful use of …

Building work started today on the £215m extension at Tate Modern. The ziggurat, which will rise from the southwest side of the existing building, is designed by Herzog & de Meuron, the firm responsible for the conversion of Bankside power station into the Tate we …

Giant mecha turd or tasteful extension? The twisty poo-hewed extension to Tate Modern has won planning approval from Southwark Council. The £215 million edifice will provide extra galleries for the venue, which often operates at more than twice its design capacity. Herzog and de Meuron’s …

Been lost in London recently? You’re not alone. A new survey from a phone company says London’s pretty much the worst place to be in, if you don’t know where you are. Cities like Bangkok and Beijing, which are twice the size of London, are …

Dominique Gonzalez-Foerster’s TH.2058, the latest in the gallery’s Unilever series, imagines London fifty years hence, where the “incessant rain” has refugees from the weather hiding in the Turbine Hall. The space has been filled with metal bunk-beds to accomodate the precipitation-shy, on which they can …

Following on from Doris Salcedo’s giant subterranean crack (which two art-lovers managed to fall into), Tate Modern has announced that the next Unilever Series commission to fill its Turbine Hall will be by French artist Dominique Gonzalez-Foerster. Well-known for art involving audience participation, Gonzalez-Foerster’s previous …

We’re considering giving our notice at Londonist Towers and upping sticks for a new home. Specifically, we want to move into Jean Prouvé’s Maison Tropicale. The prefabricated bungalow, standing on the front lawn outside Tate Modern, is in London as part of the excellent Prouvé …