Saturday 1 December 2012

Sat 1st Dec: Incoming - Gary Card's Cosmic Cyber Christmas Tree








My first post of December is a festive one to kick start the Christmas season - commencing with a ceremonious turning on of lights.  This was no ordinary advent event as the Christmas tree in question has been designed by Gary Card for the King's Cross Filling Station to light up the adjacent Regent's Canal.  The cybernetic design, and mechanical structure which you can see here in his process pictures came about from a partnership with Vauxhall Ampera relating to the engine of the electric vehicle:    

"When Vauxhall approached me to design a Christmas tree, my immediate response was to create something mechanical.  I loved the idea of applying the almost alien cybernetic design of the Ampera engine, to the familiar silhouette of the Christmas tree.  The overall design is inspired by the angles of the Ampera with a little nod to the robot iconography I loved as a child.  I wanted to celebrate the fact that the Ampera is an electric car by having an electrical mechanism powering the Christmas tree."  

The setting of the site at Shrimpy's restaurant in a converted petrol station is a slightly eerie industrial vibe so Gary's almost Blade Runner-ish neon interpretation of the traditional tree is the perfect cosmic addition!  You can see it any evening until the 6th January at King's Cross Filling Station London.

Keep up to date with all things Card at his Blog, at CLM, Twitter,  Instagram

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