Press Release for Lookout Unit at the Economist Plaza

In the outdoor space of the Plaza at 25 St. James’s Street we will be exhibiting; Lookout Unit, a major work by London-based artist Nick Ferguson.

Originally commissioned by English Heritage for Marble Hill Park, Richmond, Lookout Unit is an eight-metre-tall watchtower built from timber, cables and galvanised steel. As his points of reference Ferguson uses the 18th century folly, the military watchtower of imperialist Britain, and the gamekeeper’s observation post of rural England.

Placed within the modernist framework of the Economist Plaza and its surrounding buildings, the scale and contrasting materials of Lookout Unit creates a powerful interplay with these imposing structures. Whilst maintaining the appearance of function and purpose, the towering inaccessibility of Lookout Unit allows a more ambivalent perception of public space.

Luke Oxley