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Conrad Shawcross, Rendering of the Optic Cloak, 2015
Courtrsy of the artist
Conrad Shawcross, The Optic Cloak – an architectural intervention for the Greenwich Peninsula - April 2016 www.greenwichpeninsula.co.uk

THE OPTIC CLOAK BY CONRAD SHAWCROSS A NEW COMMISSION FOR THE GREENWICH PENINSULA

The renowned British artist Conrad Shawcross has been commissioned by Knight Dragon to create a major new architectural intervention for the Greenwich Peninsula. The Optic Cloak will be completed in April 2016 as part of the Peninsula’s new low carbon Energy Centre, and has been designed in collaboration with the architectural practice CF Møller Architects. 

Posted 7 January 2016

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Drawing on sources as diverse as maritime camouflage, Cubism and Op Art, Shawcross’ optical cloak system is his most ambitious public commission to date, uniting sophisticated engineering and complex optical research. The monumental structure – 49 metres high by 20 metres wide and 3 metres deep – is constructed from aluminium cladding with perforated panels. These triangular panels fold across the surface of the tower forming intricate geometric patterns that visually break up the flat planes to create an uneven sculpted surface. 

Conrad Shawcross, Night Rendering of the Optic Cloak, 2015, by CF Møller
Courtrsy of the artist
Conrad Shawcross, The Optic Cloak – an architectural intervention for the Greenwich Peninsula - April 2016 www.greenwichpeninsula.co.uk

Conrad Shawcross, Maquette for the Obtic Cloak in production, Photographs by Richard Forbes-Ha,ilton. Courtesy the artist and Victoria Miro, London
Conrad Shawcross, The Optic Cloak – an architectural intervention for the Greenwich Peninsula - April 2016 www.greenwichpeninsula.co.uk

A key aspect of the design is the creation of the Moiré Effect, the first time Shawcross has ever used this optical phenomenon in his work. The effect is created by overlaying the perforations on each panel at different angles to each other, resulting in a dynamic and beguiling surface which appears to change continually.
 
The impactful and visually ambiguous new landmark offers a different viewing perspective from every angle. Facing east and west, The Optic Cloak’s two main surfaces will filter daylight enhancing both the form and the visual effect of the Moiré pattern. During the evening the tower will be lit from within, continually redefining the shape of the structure and its surroundings. 

As Shawcross explains, “I wanted to create a response that celebrates the commission’s function as part of the Energy Centre’s flue, rather than trying to hide it. I started to research the history of camouflage as I was intrigued by its seemingly paradoxical nature – often it makes the object or animal it’s disguising more visually arresting. 

I was particularly interested in a type of Maritime Camouflage called ‘Dazzle Camo’ which was used on ships during the First World War, as well as in Cubism and Op Art. The idea is to break up the surface of the object, creating false perspectives and vanishing points. I thought it was important to give the commission a dynamic quality. For those passing, it will evolve radically as you pan by and under it.
 

Portrait of Conrad Shawcross in his studio, 2015, photograph by Carolina Mazzolari
Conrad Shawcross, The Optic Cloak – an architectural intervention for the Greenwich Peninsula - April 2016 www.greenwichpeninsula.co.uk

Anon, photograph of the USS West Mahomet, 1918, courtesy US Naval Historical and Heritage Command, NH 1733
Conrad Shawcross, The Optic Cloak – an architectural intervention for the Greenwich Peninsula - April 2016 www.greenwichpeninsula.co.uk

Anon, photo taken at Wright Field during 1942 and shows a P-51-1, Courtesy of NASA Langley Research Center, Nasa File 16-09-29
Conrad Shawcross, The Optic Cloak – an architectural intervention for the Greenwich Peninsula - April 2016 www.greenwichpeninsula.co.uk

Anon, photograph of the UAA Leviathan, 1918, courtesy of Naval History and Heritage Command NH 71 (ID #1326)
Conrad Shawcross, The Optic Cloak – an architectural intervention for the Greenwich Peninsula - April 2016 www.greenwichpeninsula.co.uk

Conrad Shawcross, sketch of full-façade for the Optic Cloak, May 2014, courtesy the artist and Victoria Miro, London
Conrad Shawcross, The Optic Cloak – an architectural intervention for the Greenwich Peninsula - April 2016 www.greenwichpeninsula.co.uk

Another key issue I have remained very conscious of, and have used as a driver for the idea, is the fact that this a low carbon Energy Centre for the Peninsula and so the lightness and efficiency of the structure and form has been at the core of my thinking and the development of the design.”
 
To explore how he could make the design of the commission more efficient, Shawcross worked in partnership with CF Møller Architects and engineers Structure Workshop Ltd to re-model the original steel framework proposed for the outside of the flues. By transforming it from a heavy, traditional orthogonal frame into a lightweight diagonal structure the innovative new design reduces the frame’s weight by 40% and creates more transparency in the composition of The Optic Cloak itself.
 
Knight Dragon said: “We were won over by its innovative design – vivid, sculptural components derived from Shawcross’ mathematical and scientific approach. We also welcome its low environmental impact on the overall build. We are thrilled to be integrating Shawcross’ optical cloak system in what is primarily a functional purpose –a built structure, delivering integral services to our emerging resident community.”

The commission is one of many art-led initiatives by Knight Dragon, who are transforming London’s Greenwich Peninsula from an industrial wasteland to an eclectic new neighbourhood home to 30,000 people, all wrapped by the river Thames. Covering 150 acres in the dynamic east of the city, the Peninsula is one of the largest regeneration projects in Europe.
  
In April 2016 Shawcross will also unveil Paradigm, his commission for the new Francis Crick Institute building at their site in King’s Cross, London.
 
The Peninsula already has a collection of existing high profile cultural assets including the 02, Ravensbourne College of Design & Communication and artworks such as Antony Gormley’s Quantum Cloud and Richard Wilson’s A Slice of Reality sculptures. NOW gallery, a new contemporary arts space opened in September 2014 and a year later the Greenwich Peninsula unveiled Alex Chinneck’s A Bullet from a Shooting Star (an inverted electricity pylon) in partnership with the exhibition of Straight Jacket Star Jumps at NOW gallery.
 
The Optic Cloak is a cultural partnership, developed and brokered by Futurecity as part of their place-making work for Knight Dragon.
 

Conrad Shawcross, Maquette for the Optic Cloak in production. Photographs by Richard Forbes-Hamilton, Courtesy the artist and Victoria Miro, London

ABOUT CONRAD SHAWCROSS
Conrad Shawcross explores subjects that lie on the borders of geometry and philosophy, physics and metaphysics. Attracted by failed quests for knowledge in the past, he often appropriates redundant theories and methodologies to create ambitious structural and mechanical montages.
 
Shawcross was born in 1977 in London, where he currently resides and works. The artist, who was elected as a Royal Academician in 2013, has recently had solo presentations at ARTMIA Foundation, Beijing (2014); the Roundhouse, London (2013); Palais de Tokyo, Paris (2013); MUDAM, Luxembourg (2012); Science Museum, London (2011 - 2012); Turner Contemporary, Margate (2011); and Oxford Science Park (2010).
 
In 2015 Shawcross presented his monumental sculptures The Dappled Light of the Sun in the Royal Academy’s Annenberg Courtyard and Three Perpetual Chords in Dulwich Park, as well as participating in the group exhibition Beyond Limits: The Landscape of British Sculpture 1950-2015 at Chatsworth.
 
The artist's robotic installation The ADA Project took place at the Vinyl Factory Space in Brewer Street Car Park, London, during October 2014 and his work Timepiece has served as an anchoring symbol of the 2014 - 2015 concert season Interplay at Berwaldhallen, Stockholm. In 2012 Shawcross, along with Chris Ofili and Mark Wallinger, was invited to create works inspired by Titian's masterpieces for the project Metamorphosis: Titian 2012, an ambitious collaboration with the National Gallery and Royal Ballet for the Cultural Olympiad.
 
ABOUT KNIGHT DRAGON
Knight Dragon is responsible for the redevelopment of the Greenwich Peninsula. Their plan for the Peninsula is a 190?acre neighbourhood including 1.6 miles of waterfront, 48 acres of open green space and 10,000 homes, retail and commercial offers, community facilities and over 19 hectares of new and improved public realm and open spaces. The regeneration project is one of the largest in Europe.
 
ABOUT CF MØLLER ARCHITECTS
CF Møller Architects are the lead architects of the Energy Centre Building and are responsible for designing one of the new housing developments in the Greenwich Peninsula. Established in 1924, they are one of Scandinavia’s oldest and largest architectural practices. Their award-winning work involves a wide range of expertise that covers all architectural services, landscape architecture, product design, healthcare planning and management advice on user consultation, change management, space planning, logistics, client consultancy and organisational development.

ABOUT THE ENERGY CENTRE, GREENWICH PENINSULA
Greenwich Peninsula Low Carbon Energy Centre will house technically advanced boilers and Combined Heat & Power (CHP) that will provide heat energy to the businesses and 10,000 homes due to be built on the Peninsula in the coming years and is part of the Peninsula’s Sustainability Strategy. Heat energy will be distributed via a District Heating Network (DHN) from the Energy Centre to each plot across the area. In this way, the Energy Centre could save 15-20 thousand tonnes of carbon. This type of technology is considered one of the core answers to address the National Grid’s deemed 2% spare capacity and responds to the cross-party drive to increase the use of CHP across the UK and to realise a vision of decentralised energy power generation in London. To demystify the process of energy generation, the Energy Centre will house a Visitor Centre offering an interactive educational experience for prearranged groups of visitors. The building footprint allows for flexibility in adopting energy technology over the building’s substantial lifetime.
 

Conrad Shawcross, Sketch of the sub-panels for the Optic Cloak, June 2014, courtesy the artist and Victoria Miro, London
Conrad Shawcross, The Optic Cloak – an architectural intervention for the Greenwich Peninsula - April 2016 www.greenwichpeninsula.co.uk

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