Illuminating a hidden world underground
Digging up parts of the Canary Wharf estate usually causes consternation, but a lighting expert has done that in a bid to show the area in a new light.
Admir Jukanovic, a German-born designer based in London, was commissioned by Canary Wharf Group to create a winter wonderland in Jubilee Park.
Admir, who has held exhibitions in London, Cologne and Valencia, said the idea behind the installation was to represent the energies that lie beneath.
He said: "Underneath the park there are thousands of kilometres of electronic cables.
"What I've done is make it look like the cables are coming out of the ground.
The cables are illuminated and will be fading in and out.
"It's showing what's non-visible to the park. When you walk through it's a beautiful space but essentially there's a hidden world below containing a shopping centre, restaurants and Tube stations and car parks. In some parts the earth is only 30cm deep."
It was a race against time for Admir to put the project together.
Luckily, he had a good knowledge of the area as two years ago he worked on a previous exhibition on display at the park.
He said: "I was approached two months ago, so it was quite short notice. I wasn't sure if I would be able to make it in that time, but I gave myself a week to come up with something."
Called Kablovi Park - Kablovi is Bosnian for cable - the installation was due to go live yesterday (Wednesday), and remain in place until February.
And those worried about the environment - or even CWGs electricity bill - need not be concerned.
Admir said: "We've used the best lights. They are LEDs so they consume a lot less than incandescent or halogen lamps.
"Each light is one watt so the whole installation is running on less than 100 watts."
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