John Atkin

Powerhouse was commissioned by Maiden Lane Limited for the redevelopment of Bull Inn Court, Covent Garden. The site was formerly occupied by the Charing Cross Electricity Supply Company, which generated electricity for theatres across London’s West End during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

The sculpture responds directly to this industrial history. Its composition of cogs, wheels, levers and pulleys draws upon machinery associated with the building’s former use, incorporating components salvaged from the site prior to redevelopment. Reconfigured and cast in bronze, these mechanical forms create a contemporary work that retains a tangible connection to the building’s past.

Movement is central to the composition: interlocking circular forms suggest the transfer of energy from one component to another, recalling the processes of power generation that once took place here. Installed between the Strand and Maiden Lane, Powerhouse transforms this overlooked architectural space into a point of visual discovery, connecting the contemporary life of Covent Garden with the industrial history embedded within the site.