NEON: The Fountain at Brent Cross Town, London

In Neighbourhood Square at Brent Cross Town, a new district rising in north London, the studio NEON has installed The Fountain, a 4.3-metre sculpture of stacked plates and fins. It takes its cue from the fountains of European town squares, places to meet, to play and to listen to water.

Water falling over the green fins of the fountain — Photo: John Sturrock.

Close view of water over turquoise tables — Photo: John Sturrock.

NEON is led by architect Mark Nixon and visual artist Viliina Koivisto. They wanted a fountain that would feel familiar and still look new. The plates are offset slightly from one another in plan, so the sculpture changes as you walk around it and the water falls in a different cascade on each side, varying both its sound and its movement.

Mark Nixon and Viliina Koivisto of NEON. Photo: Cesare De Giglio.

Cascade over offset plates — Photo: John Sturrock.

The Fountain framed by trees and planting — Photo: John Sturrock.

Green and turquoise

The sculpture is made of HI-MACS, chosen for its durability, colour stability and resistance to weather, and for the precision with which it can be formed into plates and fins. The vertical elements are green, picking up the planting around the square, while the water tables are turquoise. The long life of the material also keeps maintenance low.

The Fountain among planting and new housing — Photo: John Sturrock.

The fountain seen across planted beds — Photo: John Sturrock.

Elevation 1 of The Fountain — Elevation 1.

Elevation 2 of The Fountain — Elevation 2.

Axonometric drawing of The Fountain — Axonometric.

Location plan of The Fountain — Location plan.

Between calm and play

The steady sound of water gives the square a softer background, making it easier to sit, talk or simply pass through. Children tend to go straight for the cascades and the shallow pool at the base. “We were interested in creating a piece that could shift between being contemplative and playful, depending on how people choose to engage with it,” says Nixon.

The Fountain in front of brick housing — Photo: John Sturrock.

A wish at the fountain

For the launch, NEON worked with photographer Cesare De Giglio, the developer Related Argent and Barnet Council on a portrait series. Residents, workers and visitors were each asked for a wish for the future, a modern version of throwing a coin into a fountain, and the portraits and wishes were shown together in an exhibition.

Hajer with The Fountain — Hajer with *The Fountain*. Photo: Cesare De Giglio.

Maryam with The Fountain — Maryam with *The Fountain*. Photo: Cesare De Giglio.

Paulette and family with The Fountain — Paulette and family with *The Fountain*. Photo: Cesare De Giglio.

Julie and Buster with The Fountain — Julie and Buster with *The Fountain*. Photo: Cesare De Giglio.

Davin with The Fountain — Davin with *The Fountain*. Photo: Cesare De Giglio.

Matt and Sasha with The Fountain — Matt and Sasha with *The Fountain*. Photo: Cesare De Giglio.

Brent Cross Town is a 180-acre development by Related Argent with Barnet Council, planned around new homes, parks, squares and schools. NEON’s fountain joins other public works on Sketchure that give a new place something to gather around, such as Bureau de Change’s Echo in Seoul.

Artists: NEON / @neon.uk
Photography: John Sturrock / @johnnysturrock; Cesare De Giglio / @cesare_dg
Location: Brent Cross Town, London, United Kingdom