Oxford Street Commissions

I worked with Great Portland Estates on a programme of permanent commissions off Oxford Street in central London.

At Rathbone Square we commissioned Alison Wilding and Robert Orchardson to make a drinking fountain and gates for a new public garden.

Wilding’s bronze drinking fountain, called ‘Herm’, is a public offering to users of the square. The fountain provides water at different levels to children, adults and wheelchair users. A historic spring is located at Rathbone Square which was used by 18th century chemist Henry Cavendish to campaign for access to clean water in the capital. 250 years later, 'Herm' is one of a growing number of fountains that have been installed in London to reduce the environmental impact of plastic bottles.

Robert Orchardson's bronze gates are collectively titled ‘Infinite Geometry’ and stem from the artist’s long-held interest in repeated structures that extend towards a vanishing point, articulating infinity through single perspective.

On Dean Street, Gary Hume was commissioned to make a work for the facade of a new office and retail building. This work, called 'Praise the Rain' was launched in 2023 along with the completion of the Elizabeth line station and surrounding public realm. It is a reflection on our tenuous relationship to nature and consumption. “Unlike most of what surrounds it, this artwork isn’t for sale. It’s a weed that could be struggling to grow through the surrounding pavement cracks. I tried to make something that is beautiful, and is of nature, as we are”. Gary Hume.

Rhys Coren's nine-meter long terrazzo artwork off Hanover Square is called ‘Everyone I’ve Ever Known’ and is Coren’s first large-scale public commission. It’s an upbeat, joyful contribution to the streets of central London and references the artist's’ ongoing interest in music, popular culture, cartoon imagery, and the public realm. In many ways the work is a bit of visual music.