Dreamland, Margate asked Neverland to commission an art installation centrepiece as part of its 2017 re-developments. Neverland approached AN Architecture and asked us to design a piece which would state, as you traverse from the car park into Dreamland; 'You are not in Kansas anymore'.
The design centred around simplicity and playfulness, through research we found that the concept of a spinning top was one of the oldest and universal play objects. We began working through concepts and started to produce prototypes of a monumental mirrored spinning top.
The design worked on the basis of reflecting the player and their surroundings whilst animating and playing with all the surfaces nearby. Though weighing nearly 3 tons the spinning top sits on top a large bearing which means that a child can spin it. The final piece was complemented by a rainbow painted surface on the floor and a series of matching columns which reflected the colours up onto the surrounding historic scenic railway.
The spinning top is a complete crowd pleaser - endless instagram videos have been taken and this is one we are particularly proud of.
CLIENT Neverland / Dreamland
PHOTOGRAPHY Nic Caro