Nexus House

Junction of St James' Boulevard & Westgate Road, Newcastle upon Tyne

2002 -2011

This work was removed in 2011 due to structural damage

‘Full Circle’ was commissioned for the facade of Nexus House and is a large anamorphic projection of a circle, 11m in diameter.  The circle is made up of two concentric rings of coloured neon, with an outer ring of bright yellow and an inner ring of white.

An ‘anamorphic projection’ is a visual device whereby an image is distorted in perspective so that when viewed from a particular point it appears regular and properly proportioned. In this instance the image of the neon circle will coalesce at a point on the pavement at the junction of Westgate Road and St James’ Boulevard. Walking north along the Boulevard people see the neon shape of a distorted or flattened circle wrapped around the facades of the building gradually transform into a complete circle of light and on passing the circle appears to distort itself again.

The form of a circle carries with it a number of symbolic meanings. It carries strong transport associations, as in the Circle Line, and the idea of a circle of light, or a ‘halo’ has often been used to ascribe importance hence a ‘circle of influence’. The title of the work is taken from King Lear, ‘The wheele is come full circle’.