Tags
art, chance encounter, Dan Graham, environment, landscape, light, London, photography, Ray Davies, South Bank
Found Landscape 5, photography by Diana Hale
Found Landscape 7, photography by Diana Hale
Found Landscape 6, photography by Diana Hale
Waterloo Sunset Pavilion, photograph by Diana Hale
This is the wonderfully named Waterloo Sunset Pavilion at the Hayward Gallery on the South Bank by the Thames in London. Designed by American installation artist Dan Graham (with Haworth Tompkins Architects) and named after the 1967 Kinks song which caused him to “fall in love with London”, it was built in 2002-3. I only discovered it recently, by chance, coincidentally soon after watching Julien Temple’s documentary on Ray Davies, ‘Imaginary Man’. As well as wandering across Waterloo Bridge Davies is filmed in Muswell Hill where he grew up and where he still lives, near where I now live.
Dan Graham said
“In England John Constable and John Martin are perhaps my favourite artists - clouds are very important. so the pavilion faces the clouds…. It is about making people horizontal, not vertical. I want people to lie down.“
There is a sign in the pavilion saying
“This space is intended to be visually confusing. Please take care.“
The landscapes above were discovered there, looking up on a rainy winter’s day.
I heard a piece of music at a concert the other day, written for solo classical guitar by American minimalist Bruce MacCombie called Nightshade Rounds and played by Manus Noble, which might fit this mood more and be an interesting alternative accompaniment.
Related articles
- ‘Imaginary Man’: Julien Temple’s superb documentary on Ray Davies (dangerousminds.net)
- Ray Davies’ My London (standard.co.uk)
Looking forward to your return for the horizontal experience. Wonderful photos, Diana. I appreciate that you “happened upon” the pavilion coincidentally, my kind of experience.
Karen
Thanks Karen, I seem to be having more coincidences than usual lately but maybe I am just more tuned in to it.
Marvellous, and I love the utterly serious warning sign too.
Thanks – art works can be dangerous!
I walk past the Hayward on a daily basis – how on earth did I not know about this? Thank you for revealing something that was hiding in plain sight!
I know – I only found it by chance recently – ! I must go back too.
Love the images Diana. I seem to recall walking into some glass at a Dan Graham exhibition once. He certainly does play around with space. Nice guitar piece as well.
I will go back and re-experience the space in some different weather conditions I think – maybe lie down too! The concert was interesting as he played mostly less well known pieces, so a few new discoveries for me.
Nice pictures – and: “making people horizontal”, oh, I love that!
Thanks Sigrun – I didn’t actually lie down I must admit, but maybe another time!
Lovely images – evocative due to their simplicity.Lots of room for the imagination of the viewer.
Thanks for using your imagination! I like to make you work for your viewing.
Very special images – a reminder of how simplicity is the hardest to achieve but generally the most rewarding!
Thanks – I’m quite into minimalism at the moment!