1991/92

Like some strange Jack and the beanstalk, Canary Wharf arose seemingly overnight out of my local stomping grounds in the derelict docks. After the initial alienation I realised it was a platform for possibly the most seen event ever in London and the artist Peter Fink approached them to gain funding and access. We worked on the notion of a gigantic 1992 New Year countdown to be seen for miles and thus to be a huge shared urban celebration. The writer Ian Jack picked this up in his article in the Independent on Sunday “How fares the Human Spirit?” at the end of 1992 in which he speaks of talking endlessly about the event throughout the year and what a rare new and uplifting public event it was unlike much of the rest of the year:

“Several thousand of us assembled on the banks of the Thames last year for the closing minutes of 1991—staring up at the most fabulous new building—changing patterns of lights ripped up its sides. There was something robotic and therefore nearly human about it. A building with a life of its own— see the strange walking towers in H G Wells or the little steel men in Star Wars out of Dr Who.

Just before midnight the pattern changed. A massive figure 10 lit up its sides covering a dozen floors or more from top to bottom. Then a 9 followed by an 8. The crowd on either side of the river began to chant with each flashing second:

7-6-5-4-3-2-1—the Tower said HI then flashed 92. Rockets flew and exploded in star -bursts and ship horns groaned and hooted. –—People cheered

It was a new public event (rare in itself) which cost the public nothing, which children loved, which gave focus to a celebration”

I was fascinated by the building acting as a giant conductor of thousands of combined voices in this countdown and later we approached Greater London Radio to work with us on programmes of synchronised light on the tower tin rhythm with their music. The plaza below the tower became a disco for thousands of dancers dancing in time to the tower lights and the sound.

The whole event lasted a fortnight and was covered by worldwide press and television.

” Twinkling like a giant cubist Christmas tree ….. Brilliant slender shafts of blue green and white light— some stretching up to 40 miles—sophisticated computer technology turns windows into a huge digital clock counting down the seconds— 5 lasers backed by 14 searchlights shooting 2 miles into the sky and 300 lights .”
Evening Standard