Gabo Fountain Garden at St Thomas's Hospital

There is an excellent example of an Abstract Modern garden on the South Bank of the River Thames, opposite the Houses of Parliament. It was built on the site of the former house of the Treasurer of the hospital (destroyed by bombing). The fountain which forms the centerpiece of the garden was designed by Naum Gabo (1890-1977). Gabo a Russian Constructivist sculptor who moved to England in the 1930's and influenced a generation of sculptors, including Barbara Hepworth and Ben Nicholson. Constructivism has had a particular influence on garden designers and landscape archtiects because of the way in which the design of objects 'constructs' a spatial pattern. The jets of water, and the space they define, form part of the scultpture. One can also regard the planting and the buildings as part of the composition (see note on the compositional elements of garden and landscape design).

Revolving Torsion is made of stainless steel. In Gabo's theory of 'on-colour' stainless steel 'has the same tone of water to a certain extent, but its shadows you can see, and you ought to see in the water'.

Information on fountains around the world from www.garden-fountains.com.

HOMEPAGE - Landscape Architecture London List

• 10 months ago DJR said

  Like the previous comment I have been looking down on the fountain from the 7th floor of the North \ing in the Hospital. The views for the patients and staff are amazing and must be good for eveyone's well being. The fountain and garden are lovely to look down upon in this lovely weather we are having over Easter and it's even better to sit around it it enjoying the sun and everyone using this wonderful space

• over 1 year ago Sue Ruffle said

  Have just spent 24 hours on the 8th floor of St Thomas' with a wonderful view of the Gabo fountain. The fantastic thing is that from above the whole structure including the water gives the impression of a heart with the four chambers and the water pulsating sometimes strongly sometimes weakly. There is an area where the water overflows like a weeping heart. In the evening the shadow formed gives the impression of a figure holding a heart shape, wonderful, and how sensitive.
  I do think that only people in the building would appreciate this as you need to be looking down, how uplifting for them.