There's more action at Tate Modern this month as plans for their upcoming 2012 extension have been exposed in the Sunday broadsheets. Inspired by Babylonian ziggurats, the £140 million wing will stand some 130 metres tall and practically doubles the museum’s space. Full plans are set to be unveiled next month, while the extension is intended for completion in time for the London Olympics.
Like the rest of the museum, this addition comes from Herzog & Meuron, the Swiss architectural group who originally turned Giles Gilbert Scott’s Bankside Power Station into the wonder we know as the Tate Modern. Now, although the bulk of the building is instantly recognisible as an old school industrial construction, the new wing is a little more sci-fi. Think big pyramid glass blocks in a mish-mash zig-zag style. It’s the antithesis of the Bankside section of the museum and, in that, reactions have been mixed.
This building may turn out as ugly as hell but, for someone who thinks the Scottish Parliamentary building is a bona fide work of art; I’m rooting for full-blown mega-success of Tate Modern 2. London needs a little something to rival the Bilbao’s Guggenheim or Hong Kong's Convention Centre. We need some future action. Sure, we have The Gherkin, City Hall and even Trellick Tower, but where’s the love on the arts scene? Our galleries are, on the whole, a part of the establishment. They rise from ancient building blocks of sheer elegance and historic grace. And yes, these have their place. They are regal. They are wonderful. They are beautiful and make London, well, London. But, let’s face it, Tate Modern is all about innovation. That’s the whole point. This is a remarkable building we have, one seeped in both history and style, so what's the harm in pushing it further and bringing the gallery bang into the future?
