Love-Love by Julien Berthier - Sinking Boat at Canary Wharf

In the midst of all this financial chaos, it was rather amusing to find (in a wry sort of way) on my walk to the office "quarterly briefing" this morning to spot this art installation (bizarrely called "Love-Love") twisting in the breeze in the middle of South Dock...It's total coincidence too (barring unprecidented artistic precognition) as it's part of the planned event "Drift 08" taking place along the Thames currently - apparently it is (despite appearances) actually perfectly sea-worthy, and can be moved around powered by an electric motor in exactly this configuration - I bet that raised more than a few eyebrows when it was sailed up the Thames..."Non, non, I am fine! Really!!!" ;)

Apparently, the French artist responsible - Julien Berthier - has actually now sold the piece (although probably not to a wealthy London Banker) for £50,000, but it's staying put for the time being if you want to come and take a peek at it spinning mournfully, perpetually suspended at the moment before total catastrophe...(the boat that is)...

US Election register - Canary Wharf

Spotted this today, lurking at the foot of the escalators in Cabot place - a registration desk attempting to attract US citizens (those that are hiding in alien territories) to sign up ready to vote (in their "abroad" capacity) and influence the results of the US elections...not that they can have honestly missed the fact that it has been taking place (since about January)...are they *ever* going to get on and actually resolve the matter?

In other news, yesterday the Leehman bank told all their employees they were going to be out of a job, the immediate result was that all the pubs and bars around the Wharf filled up with frantic looking people clutching cardboard boxes full of desk ornaments...and today, sadly, the tube trains did actually feel a little bit emptier...whatever is going on with the world...?  A colleague even spotted someone carrying an empty suitcase who got off at Canary Wharf...

Let's just hope that whoever does end up getting elected to the White House puts stabilizing global economy as priority one...working somewhere like this you can't help but see the very tangible effects, happening just across the road...