Ecliptical Spheres is a permanent sculptural work by British artist James Hopkins, commissioned by Mount Anvil for the public realm at Dollar Bay, a residential development on the edge of Canary Wharf. The commission was curated and delivered by Futurecity as part of a broader cultural strategy across multiple Mount Anvil sites.
Futurecity worked closely with the client from inception to completion - establishing the site context, crafting the brief, managing the artist selection process, and overseeing fabrication and installation. The brief asked for a work that would respond to the site’s waterfront setting, enhance pedestrian experience and wayfinding, and speak to both past and future narratives of the area.
Hopkins’ proposal - three polished stone spheres aligned with a mirror-finished stainless-steel plane - creates a visual illusion that shifts depending on the viewer’s position. Referencing planetary alignment and nautical instruments like telescopes, the work draws on the heritage of the West India Docks and the fluidity of time, space and water.
The installation plays with scale, reflection and geometry - core aspects of Hopkins’ practice - and contributes a moment of contemplation within the fast-paced environment of Canary Wharf. It also complements the surrounding architecture, including the crystalline form of Dollar Bay, designed to reflect changing light throughout the day.
This is James Hopkins’ third Futurecity-curated commission. Ecliptical Spheres is one of three Mount Anvil commissions curated by Futurecity alongside Column by Studio Swine and Untitled by Jo Hayes Ward.