Art in London Editorial

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T he latest imposition on the skyline of London is set to be a twisting, asymmetric tower, taller than Statue of Liberty and already being hailed as a new icon of British art. Designed by Turner Prize winner Anish Kapoor, the 115 metre tower has been nicknamed the Hubble Bubble by Boris Johnson, due to its resemblance to a shisha pipe and will stand alongside the Olympic stadium in Stratford. It will be Britain’s largest lump of public ‘art’. That Kapoor’s name stands behind the project, immediately lends the tower an affirmation of artistic credibility. Kapoor is unquestionably one of the country’s most popular contemporary artists and his work is almost beyond criticism - his recent installations at the Royal Academy drew much acclaim from the public and press alike. The Stratford structure won approval from a select committee which included Tate Director, Sir Nicholas Serota and Julia Peyton-Jones from the Serpentine.

To me, it looks like the aftermath of a fairground disaster, lacking elegance, style or artistic merit. I have seen better looking railway bridges, hotels, airport terminals and lunar landing craft. And yet criticism of Mr Kapoor is at best inappropriate, if not tantamount to artistic treason. And as London has yet to have a voluminous objet d’art to rival The Angel of the North, at least the capital will no longer be perceived as Gateshead’s poor relation.

Of far more importance is the ‘Save Portobello Campaign’ which I make no apologies for resurrecting yet again. Response to our comments in the Spring issue have been overwhelmingly supportive, yet despite the recent ruling by Kensington and Chelsea Council that the redevelopment of Lipka’s antiques arcade breached planning regulations, there is little light at the end of the tunnel. In a heated debate on the 13th April, the council reaffirmed its position that change of use from an antiques arcade to another retail activity does not require planning permission. The new tenants have been ordered to restore the exterior, but there has been no action by the council to assist the return of evicted dealers, nor has there been any further penalty imposed on the developers for the lies they employed to extract the initial approval of the council. The redevelopment of the Good Fairy arcade a few yards away also makes no provision for retaining the trade that has flourished there for decades.

Compelling powerful, multi-million pound conglomerates to replace some old timbers on the outside of their clothing megastores does not constitute corrective action to maintain the integrity of the area. RBKC has a dire record of‘support’ for the antiques trade, as witnessed by their ineptitude with the Antiquarius redevelopment on the Kings Road. Their inefficiency compares favourably to that of Islington Council, who last year oversaw the demise of the popular Mall antiques centre near Camden Passage. Citing the 1990 Town and Country Planning Act, the council declare that they are ‘obliged’ to grant planning permission where change of use policy is not relevant.

No, they are not.

If I applied to convert the gallery from a retail art outlet to a retail store for magic mushrooms, nipple clamps, bondage ropes and associated ephemera, I sincerely hope that I would be shown the door on the basis that such a change of use was inappropriate for the area. Dumping an anachronistic clothing store in the middle of one of the world’s most revered and established antiques markets is not simply inappropriate, but offensive in the extreme and should never have been allowed to happen.

The ‘Save Portobello’ campaigners are claiming victory with this latest ruling, yet alas, nothing could be further from the truth. The dealers have gone, never to return. The only remedial action worth taking is to revoke the entire planning permission - on the basis of a deliberate attempt to mislead - and restore the building to its original purpose. Would RBKC have the courage to take such action? Maybe. But Hell would have to freeze over first.

Ed

Art in London welcomes contributions from art journalists, galleries and artists. While we cannot guarantee inclusion, each submission will be assessed on its merits.

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