Piccadilly Circus AI street design slammed as ‘inappropriate’
By Adrian Zorzut, Local Democracy Reporter
A developer has been criticised for wanting to spend up to £2million on artwork created by artificial intelligence to make a wall on a busy London street look less boring.
The Soho Society, a non-for-profit group in the capital, said plans to install the metal artwork representing a leaf blowing in the wind behind Piccadilly Circus’ famous advertising boards was a waste of time and called on the developers to rethink their plans, council documents revealed.
In a letter to Westminster City council, the group said: “The artwork is inappropriate within the conservation area, given the appearance of the adjacent buildings. The concept – ‘the urban landscape being reclaimed by nature through artificial intelligence’ makes no sense.
“This objective would be better met by installing further greening. [The] aim appears to be to attract attention to the adjacent development rather than to enhance the conservation area or provide public benefit.”
The Soho Society also warned flats near the proposed development on 17-19 Denman Street could be impacted by the nighttime illumination of the installation and questioned the council’s commitment to the climate change emergency.
An artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm will be used to create “natural patterns” out of steel to create an “organic form ‘grown’”.
The installation is supposed to represent either a leaf caught in the breeze, or ivy growing out of, and up, the walls and around the chimney at the property. It will also be illuminated by LED lighting at night.
A council report read: “This is a good location for something providing appropriate visual interest. The theme and method of design are topical, and the result is visually engaging and of an appropriate scale for its location.”
The council also said the LED lighting would “throw a gentle wash on the artwork rather than illuminate unnecessary areas” and predicted the bulbs would use a combined 0.04kwh per hour.
Westminster council is set to approve the plans when it meets on Tuesday.
Pictured top: The exposed party wall at 17-19 Denman Street in Piccadilly Circus (Picture: Google Street View)
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