Is King’s Cross on its way to becoming host for a menagerie of animals made from waste? The latest addition is Beatbox Dragonfly, a sculpture by local artist and resident Andrew Lee. It joins the “flotation” last week of Rubbish Duck, made of discarded plastic bottles, and now bobbing around in the canal, appropriately outside the repurposed old petrol station.
The two-metre long dragonfly can be seen taking a breather on the side of a shipping container at Camley Street Natural Park. Andrew has been a volunteer there for many years, and as an artist with a soft spot for representations of pigeons, monkeys, pears and geezers, and found materials, tied together with a bit of humour – it made sense to take materials and inspiration from the park itself.
“Dragonflies are plentiful at Camley Street,” says Andrew, “this assemblage was based largely on an Emperor Dragonfly. I was interested in using materials found on side, but I wanted the material to be equally robust and manmade. As a result, it contrasts with its natural surroundings, though the park itself is largely the result of human intervention.”