Revolving Torsion

Revolving Torsion stands in the central square of St Thomas’ Hospital in the London Borough of Lambeth. The sculpture is a kinetic fountain made of intersecting stainless-steel plates, placed in a circular pool of water. It was created between 1972 and 1973 by Naum Gabo, a Russian-born Constructivist artist. The work was commissioned by the Tate Gallery and later loaned to Guy’s and St Thomas’ Charity for display at the hospital. In January 2016, it was granted Grade II* listed status for its artistic significance. The sculpture represents the realisation of an idea Gabo first explored in the mid-1920s, inspired by his 1920 Realistic Manifesto. Over the years, he developed smaller models, including a 10-centimetre Perspex version around 1929 and an 80-centimetre bronze maquette between 1960 and 1964. The full-scale work was manufactured by Stainless Metalcraft Limited in London. Sir Norman Reid, then director of the Tate Gallery, suggested the commission after seeing Gabo’s models during a visit to his studio in the United States. Visitors to St Thomas’ Hospital find the sculpture set in the middle of a circular pool, surrounded by a square garden. Water sprays from some of the curved edges, though the rotating mechanism no longer functions. The hospital’s location provides views of the River Thames to the west and Westminster Bridge Road to the north. Newer hospital buildings frame the garden to the east and south, creating a quiet space for reflection amid the busy hospital grounds.