Keying Chen

Fragmented Follies is created directly from the design language of Battersea Park. Architect and designer Sam Jacob draws upon the layered architectural and cultural histories of this urban park and its surroundings, to create a series of striking contemporary objects. Pump House Gallery terrace plays host to large, abstracted assemblages, which transform and enliven the space. ‘Architecture is all about people’ and Jacob has designed the work to encourage visitors to interact with the sculptures in any way they like – whether resting against them, sitting down with others to chat, or having their lunch on them, as if they were a table.

Using the traditional concept of a ‘folly’ as a starting point, Jacob has combined shapes and structural elements that reflect the park’s past and its current urban context; striations taken from Battersea Power Station collide with curving lines left over from its Victorian ironwork to form this usable incarnation of contemporary sculpture.

The project has been co-designed by Sam Jacob Studio and Year 9 students (13 to 14 years old) from Burntwood School, South London.