The upgrade of the Silk Street entrance was a key element of the refurbishment of the Barbican Centre, by architects Allford Hall Monaghan Morris. In 2004 the Barbican Art Gallery appointed Modus Operandi to research artists and organise a competition for a 22 metre-long artwork integral to the ‘light wall’ that forms the left hand side of the Centre's entrance.
Alex Hartley’s winning proposal incorporated horizontal and vertical bands of slowly moving imagery set behind etched glass panels. This imagery derived from his photographs of architectural elements and colours found within the Barbican development. The artwork was fabricated by the Mike Smith Studio and sponsored by Linklaters, the international law firm whose London headquarters are located on Silk Street.