SHARKS! (2020)
Jaimie Shorten (b.1959)
SHARKS! (2020)
polystyrene and fibreglass
dimensions and arrangement variable
Antepavilion / Regent’s Canal
I’ve never once seen ‘fresh from Regent’s Canal’ listed on a London seafood menu and long may that be the case. Apparently, however, the stretch between Hackney and Haggerston is a prime spot for anglers which should come as no surprise because small fish have evolved to swim with the sharks as a survival mechanism, and the stretch of Regent’s Canal between Haggerston Road and Queensbridge Road has five great big ones.
Floating on mini pontoons next to the Hoxton Docks are a shiver of sharks that appear to be jumping out of the water in unison, like Olympic synchronised swimmers. The original announcement indicated there would be six, although I have only ever seen five in the water and on one random occasion noticed there was just a cluster of four. Oddly, if you view them via satellite photos you will only see two (Apple Maps) or one (Google Maps). I’m still very worried that one day I will encounter a trio, which will likely trigger traumatic childhood memories of Jaws 3-D in the cinema. (It wasn’t scary. Just very, very bad.)
The sharks, or SHARKS! as they are officially known inclusive of the exclamation point, aren’t just lifelike in appearance. They share something else with the real things that have swum in the ocean for millennia: ever since they were installed they’ve been under threat of extinction.
SHARKS! is the creation of architect Jaimie Shorten, who submitted them to the annual Antepavilion Competition that offers “emerging architects, artists, designers, craftsmen, and anyone else, an opportunity to create new work through direct hands-on construction.” Winning entries are often placed on the roof, which has historically proved to be an issue with Hackney Council. Ironically, Shorten’s water-based proposal caused just as much controversy and Antepavilion and Hackney Council have been battling over the sharks since they swam into existence. After six years and two stays-of-execution SHARKS! are still surprising unsuspecting canal ramblers, but for how much longer is anyone’s guess.
Regional British politics is often described as slow death by red tape and incurring the wrath of the local council is why you don’t see more crazy independent public art installations, but from a community perspective it’s hard to argue against such smile-inducing efforts. Especially since these are not shabby papier-mâché models slowly disintegrating into the waters, nor are they a quickly ill-thought joke, like most graffiti. And unlike most graffiti I’m pretty sure the council would have scrubbed these away years ago had they not been smartly placed in a publicly inaccessible alcove.
Algae, floating rubbish, occasionally even a shopping trolley or Lime Bike are things one normally expects to see stuck in the muck along Regent’s Canal. That might be why everyone loves the incongruous sight of SHARKS!. In fact, looking out for them as I wander to or from nearby Broadway Market is my second favourite thing to do on a canal walk. (Number one is constantly being on the lookout for cleverly named boats, crossing my fingers that one day I’ll encounter the Naughty Lass.) Seeing these sharks doesn’t just amuse me, it makes me pay extra attention to everything else along the canal. Encountering something so unexpected jolts me out of the blissful Zen-state that a lazy walk often induces, piquing my curiosity and making me wonder what else I might discover.
They’re already a well regarded landmark and much like the Headington Shark that partly inspired them I hope, and highly suspect, that SHARKS! will eventually win their long term territorial council battle and become a permanent canal fixture. And why wouldn’t they? They have the perfect combination of quirky British dry wit combined with high quality execution. When something looks this good and is placed in such a way that it elicits positive public reaction it’s hard to argue why it needs to be removed or destroyed.
That’s why I like it.
They’re jawsome!
Previously, on Why I Like It:
Aug — The Choir of the Innocents (2010-present), Andrei Pandea
Jul — Slave Market with the Disappearing Bust of Voltaire (1940), Salvador Dalí
Jun — Millennium Bridge Chewing Gum Art (2013-present), Ben Wilson
Want more? Here’s a list of the first three dozen articles in this series.