Delcy Morelos’ origo Launches at the Barbican Sculpture Court
⭐ A major new artwork has arrived in the heart of the Culture Mile, as renowned Colombian artist Delcy Morelos unveiled her breathtaking installation origo at the Barbican Centre’s Sculpture Court earlier this month.
The launch marks a significant milestone for both the Barbican and the Culture Mile, as origo is the first artwork to be installed in the Sculpture Court for more than a decade. Transforming the space into an immersive and sensory experience, the installation invites visitors to engage with sculpture in a unique and personal way, encouraging them to move through, around and alongside the work.
🔗 Click here to watch our interview with Delcy Morelos.
👏 A Landmark Installation
Known internationally for creating large-scale installations that explore humanity’s relationship with the earth, nature and ancestral knowledge, Morelos has developed origo as a work that encourages reflection, connection and movement.
Situated within the Barbican’s iconic architectural setting, the installation offers visitors an opportunity to experience sculpture beyond traditional gallery boundaries. Rather than simply observing from a distance, audiences are encouraged to actively engage with the piece, creating their own journey through the space.
To celebrate the launch, we sat down with Delcy Morelos to discuss the inspiration behind her work, how her Colombian heritage has influenced her artistic practice, and why the Barbican and the Culture Mile provided the ideal setting for origo.
🌟 During the conversation, Morelos spoke about the importance of connecting people with the natural world and creating experiences that encourage contemplation in the midst of busy urban environments. Her work draws heavily on indigenous knowledge, memory and the relationship between people and the land, themes that resonate strongly within the Culture Mile’s commitment to creating meaningful cultural experiences in the heart of London.
🫡 Kicking Off “Move the Mile”
The arrival of origo also marks the beginning of Culture Mile’s summer programme, Move the Mile: Get Moving and Discover the Culture Mile.
Throughout the summer, the programme will encourage City workers, residents and visitors to step outside, explore the area’s hidden corners and reconnect with nature, culture and one another. Through a series of activations, events and installations, Move the Mile aims to showcase the Culture Mile as a destination where creativity, wellbeing and discovery come together.
As an artwork that invites physical movement and exploration, origo perfectly embodies the spirit of the programme. Visitors are encouraged not only to experience the sculpture itself but also to use it as a starting point for discovering the wider cultural and green spaces that make the area unique.
🤝 Making Art Accessible to All
The installation also supports Culture Mile’s ongoing commitment to making arts and culture more accessible to everyone.
Importantly, origo is completely FREE to visit, ensuring that people from all backgrounds can engage with a major international artwork without barriers to entry. This commitment to accessibility remains particularly significant following findings published in the Arts for All report by Centre for London, which highlighted that many Londoners are not regularly engaging with the city’s cultural offer.
By bringing high-quality, free cultural experiences into public and accessible spaces, Culture Mile and the Barbican continue to create opportunities for more people to encounter art in their everyday lives.
👋 Plan Your Visit
origo is now open to visitors in the Sculpture Court at the Barbican Centre and can be experienced free of charge.
Whether you are a regular visitor to the Culture Mile, a City worker looking for a moment of reflection during your day, or simply curious to experience a remarkable new artwork, origo offers a unique opportunity to engage with one of today’s most celebrated contemporary artists while discovering a new perspective on the city around you.
We encourage everyone to visit, move through the sculpture and explore everything that the Culture Mile has to offer this summer.
