A new space for the Tate
With the extension, the Tate Modern will have foor space equal to eight football pitches
PHOTOGRAPHS: CANOPY & STARS, FOMINAYA PHOTO/SHUTTERSTOCK, HAYES DAVIDSON AND HERZOG & DE MEURON
Tate Modern was perhaps the best new opening of London’s millennium year, bringing a superb collection of 20th-century art into the brooding bulk of the old Bankside Power Station in the heart of the capital. Now, a decade and a half into the 21st century, a major extension will increase the gallery space by 60 per cent, allowing it to show more art from Latin America, Africa and Asia, and giving extra room to focus on new interactive exhibits and performance art. While the original brick building designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott (also responsible for Liverpool Cathedral and the classic red phone box) faces the Thames, the Tate’s new addition – dubbed the Switch House – shifts its centre of gravity to the south side. The 10-foor structure is clad in brick to match the existing Boiler House, to which it is linked by a bridge across the vast Turbine Hall. But in contrast to the industrial purposefulness of the old building, the angular new design conjures up a pyramid built for an origami-loving pharaoh. The revamped gallery opens to a three-day launch party, which includes choirs, drop-in flm screenings, 10-minute talks and a piece of performance art involving two police offcers on horseback patrolling the Turbine Hall.