In 2006, the Humanitarian Assistance Unit of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) set out to commission a memorial to the 52 people who lost their lives during the 7 July 2005 bombings in London. A Project Board was formed consisting of representatives from the DCMS Humanitarian Assistance Unit, the Royal Parks, and delegates from six of the bereaved families. Vivien Lovell of Modus Operandi, representing the Westminster Public Art Advisory Panel, advised on the short-listing of design teams for interview; she also advised the Project Board on the selection of the winners – a team comprising Carmody Groarke Architects, Colvin & Moggridge Landscape Architects, and Arup Engineers. With their artist adviser, Antony Gormley, the team developed final designs in consultation with the Project Board.
The memorial, sited in Hyde Park, comprises 52 columns (or stellae) in roughly textured sand-cast stainless steel. Each column is inscribed with the date, location and time of bombing, and a nearby plaque records the names of the dead in alphabetical order. The columns are arranged in clusters reflecting the number of lives lost in each bombing, and this clustering also aims to capture the sense of loss, both singular and collective. The resultant work is a fitting memorial, an environmental sculpture where the viewer can reflect on the tragic events of that day.
Landscape Architects: Colvin & Moggridge
Advisor to Design Team: Antony Gormley
Foundry: Norton Cast Products
Lettering Designer: Professor Phil Baines, Central Saint Martin's
The 7 July Memorial received a 2010 RIBA Award.