Artist Ryoji Ikeda has unveiled a new public installation in London, titled Spectra, and consisting of a massive column of light shooting up into the night sky next to the Parliament building.  The installation is part of a series of works commemorating the beginning of World War I in Britain.  “The light spectra throws up into the night sky is a unifying point,” says mayor Boris Johnson. “It echoes how the first world war affected all Londoners, but also how they and the rest of the country came together, standing united during those dark days.”

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Art F City’s weekly STUFF column took an interesting twist this week, as artist John Baldessari was invited to contribute a list of his ten most prized possessions.  Rather following his cue, the artist submitted a list of 10 incredibly wealthy individuals, including photographs of each billionaire’s personal yacht.  True to form, Baldessari’s witty subversion offers a pointed commentary on the fetishization of material objects. (more…)

Artist Anthony McCall’s ambitious Column project, planned for public installation in the UK city of Merseyside, has been abandoned after being projected to finish late and over budget.  The project has already received over a half a million pounds of public money.  “Of course it is very important to us that we manage the risks associated with our investment of taxpayers’ money. We have monitored the development of Column closely, but in a very small number of cases the price we pay for exciting ideas is that the risk doesn’t pay off.”  Said Arts Council executive Laura Dyer. (more…)