London – Arriving in line with the opening of Crossrail Place, the new Elizabeth Line terminal in London's Canary Wharf, the Skystation sculpture is designed to foster conversation and reflection. Originally created by artist Peter Newman in 2019, its arrival in Canary Wharf reflects the area’s aims to encourage more people to pause and create connections.
Taking inspiration from the iconic LC4 chaise longue chair, the sculpture offers a 360-degree take on singular seats – encouraging members of the public to recline and look up at the sky. It also has the incidental effect of bringing people’s heads close together, in turn facilitating conversation and shared contemplation. Here, the public installation sets an example for future placemaking projects that hope to promote similar behaviour.
‘Skystation creates an opportunity for pause, reflection and interaction within the public realm,’ Peter Newman tells LS:N Global. ‘An object to be both observed and used, it has the incidental effect of making conversation between strangers almost inevitable.’ To discover more insights about the future of urban spaces, delve into Equilibrium Cities.
Strategic opportunity
With many citizens left with lingering feelings of loneliness as a result of the pandemic, consider how your brand might work to facilitate organic and safe connections in public environments