The Traffic Light Tree – Near Billingsgate Market

Traffic Light Tree, Trafalgar Way,
London
E14 5TG

Stuck for Art, Stuck for Culture, Stuck for Kids Activities

0.0 0 Reviews

Free

Write a Review

The Traffic Light tree was created by French sculptor Pierre Vivant following a competition run by the Public Art Commissions Agency. It was situated on a roundabout near Canary Wharf, at the junction of Heron Quay, Marsh Wall and Westferry Road.

Eight metres tall and containing 75 sets of lights, each controlled by computer, Vivant described the project thus:

“The sculpture imitates the natural landscape of the adjacent London Plane Trees, while the changing pattern of the lights reveals and reflects the never ending rhythm of the surrounding domestic, financial and commercial activities.”

The Public Art Commission Agency said that “The arbitrary cycle of light changes is not supposed to mimic the seasonal rhythm of nature, but the restlessness of Canary Wharf.”

The Traffic Light tree was installed in 1998 on the site of a plane tree, that was suffering as a result of pollution. It was initially intended that the lights would be triggered to reflect flurries of activity on the London Stock Exchange, but this proved to be too expensive to put into practice.

Although some motorists were initially confused by the traffic lights, mistaking them for real signals, the sculpture soon became a favourite among both tourists and locals. In 2005, Saga Motor Insurance commissioned a survey asking British motorists about the best and worst roundabouts in the country. The Traffic Light tree was the clear favourite.