Anish Kapoor To Design Tower For 2012 Olympics

Dean Nicholas
By Dean Nicholas Last edited 170 months ago
Anish Kapoor To Design Tower For 2012 Olympics

2101_kapoor.jpg
Photo / michald*
The commission for Boris Johnson's much-mocked tower in the Olympic Park has been won by artist Anish Kapoor, according to the Architects' Journal.

Kapoor, whose successful Royal Academy show closed in December, will apply his considerable talent to a £15m structure that will be funded by money pulled from the deep pockets of businessman Lakshmi Mittal. The project attracted much derision when it was announced last October, partly due to what was described as mayoral hubris (it has already been dubbed the "piffle tower"), and partly because the anonymous design used to illustrate it in a piece that ran in the Times depicted a nasty-looking crimson pylon / totem pole. One entry that showed particular vision, a digital cloud overlooking the site, didn't even reach the shortlist.

If Kapoor has indeed prevailed, what might we expect? Judging from his previous work, the tower could be a formless symphony of intestinal shapes daubed with splatters of red paint. Perhaps we'll get a floating mass of delicate-looking bubbles, as in the picture above, from his RA show. Or will be looking at a mirrored edifice, refracting and distorting the city skyline and the Games spectators, like his public artworks Cloud Gate or Sky Mirror? The Architects' Journal piece offers few clues, only that the tower will be taller than the Olympic Stadium, and will "incorporate lifts for visitors".

Last Updated 21 January 2010