Read Culture

Bridge

BridgeatDilston.jpg

Bridge was London artist Michael Cross' installation for the 2006 London Design Festival, allowing any member of the flock to walk on water inside a former church. Cross achieved the effect by half-filling the century-old church with water and installing steps that seemed to magically appear as visitors walked across the water. Purely mechanical, the weight of a person activates each step, which rises just above the surface of the water as they walk forward. There are some 30 steps in all, ending in the middle of the church—isolation that may be peaceful for some and terrifying for others.

The space itself, Dilston Grove, is interesting. Formerly the Clare College Mission Church in Southwark Park, London, it's a listed building and one of the earliest examples of poured concrete construction. No longer consecrated ground, it is now the city's only permanent large-scale space available for artists.

Related

More stories like this one.