Harper Road council flat filled with blue crystals

The installation, called Seizure, opens to the public on Wednesday 3 September and will remain in place for two months.

Southwark Council provided use of the block which is awaiting demolition. The site is earmarked as one of the locations for new homes for Heygate Estate residents as part of the Elephant & Castle regeneration process.

Visitors to Seizure are provided with wellies and gloves before they step in to the tank that has been inserted into one of the derelict flats.

"We cut through from the floor above," explains Roger Hiorns. "A lot of engineering is inside that tank.

"We filled it up with 90,000 litres of boiling hot copper sulphate solution and then watched it go. That was the simplicity of it."

Three weeks later the tank was drained and a door inserted to allow visitors to step in to the crystal-lined space.

Hiorns, who used to have a studio in Long Lane before Empire Square was built, is no stranger to Southwark. He says that the isolated building seemed perfect for his project.

Seizure can be visited free of charge daily except Monday from Wednesday 3 September to Sunday 2 November.

Related events include a cycle tour of public art in Southwark and a talk entitled A Beginner's Guide to Crystals. Three further talks take place in October at the Jerwood Space in Union Street.

The work was selected through the Jerwood/Artangel Open, a new commissioning initiative for the arts, which was launched two years ago in association with Channel 4 and Arts Council England