alexandre da cunha unveils 100m kinetic artwork for london underground

‘sunset, sunrise, sunset’ by alexandre da cunha

brazilian artist alexandre da cunha has created an almost 100-meter permanent artwork for london’s underground. titled ‘sunset, sunrise, sunset’, the kinetic sculpture occupies the ticket hall of a new tube stop at battersea power station, which extends the city’s northern line.

commissioned by art on the underground, the large artwork reflects on the cycle of daily routines and is envisioned by the artist as a relief from digital media. ‘although the core of this piece is color and its reference to landscape, the work focuses on the idea of movement, cycle and repetition,’ explains da cunha. ‘the analogue aspect of the panels function as an antidote to our constant relationship with digital media, a counterpoint to screens acting an extension of our bodies.’

alexandre da cunha, ‘sunset, sunrise, sunset’, 2021, battersea power station underground station. courtesy the artist and thomas dane gallery. all images by GG archard, 2021.

colors from real sunsets and sunrises

the work is composed of two facing friezes made up of 3,500 individual panels. da cunha utilized an outdated advertising mechanism – the rotating billboard – and took inspiration from the former control room at battersea power station and its system of vertical bars that regulated the production and output of electricity into the city.

the vertical panels have three faces, each with a different color taken from photos of london sunsets and sunrises. as passengers move through the station during the day, the colors change as the bars slowly rotate, filling the ticket hall with different atmospheres. the title of the permanent artwork – sunset, sunrise, sunset – refers to the three vertical panels, their cyclical rotation and repetition.

the artwork is composed of two facing friezes