Kapoor: Slide on my Olympic sculpture was foisted on me by Boris

SIR ANISH KAPOOR, the Turner Prizewinning artist, has warned that his Olympic sculpture must not become an “amusement park”, claiming plans to install a slide around it were “foisted” on him by Boris Johnson. Kapoor’s ArcelorMittal Orbit sculpture is being transformed by the artist Carsten Holler in a project which will result in the addition of the world’s longest and tallest tunnel slide.

It is hoped that the revamp will rejuvenate visitor interest in the sculpture, with £17 tickets for adults recouping its multi-million-pound costs. But while the project has been trumpeted as an innovative collaboration between two leading artists, Kapoor has disclosed that their project was not all it seemed.

Speaking at a press conference about the slide’s progress, he said he had only been told of the Mayor of London’s plans to install it a year ago.

The concept, he said, would have been “problematic” for him, leaving the statue closer to an “amusement park” than a work of art.

“The Mayor foisted this on the project, and kind of insisted,” Kapoor said. “So there was a moment where we, or rather I, had to make a decision: do I go to battle with the Mayor, or is there a more elegant, more astute way to do this?” He disclosed he had turned to Holler, who is feted for his slide installations at the Hayward Gallery and Tate Modern.

Kapoor’s sculpture, once mischievously nicknamed “Boris’s folly”, cost £19 million to build, with £16 million paid by the sponsor and the remaining £3 million by public funding. Last year, it was reported to be losing £10,000 a week. Mr Johnson said last night: “The ArcelorMittal Orbit is a breathtaking piece of art. It is fantastic that two such extraordinary artists should have collaborated on this project – like Bernini adorning the work of Michelangelo.”

Somehow, contemplating the 35,000 bolts that hold together the Orbit tower in the Olympic Park in London proved insufficient attraction for the paying public. Despite the bonus of views of the East End of London, visitors stayed away. In one year, the thing lost £520,000. That might change in June with the addition of the world’s highest, longest, tunnel slide. From 250ft up, sliders will whizz down a 584ft-long chute to the ground in 40 seconds. Reasonably enough, the weight limit is 23 stone. The price is also fairly hefty at £17 – £12 to go up and £5 to slide down. For all his generous words, we cannot help wondering how Sir Anish Kapoor, the designer of the original structure, feels at times about his art being made into a funfair ride. If the slide makes a profit, Nelson’s Column could be next as a helter-skelter.