Lindy Lee: Ouroboros

Ouroboros is based on the ancient image of a snake eating its own tail; an image seen across cultures and millennia, the symbol of eternal return, of cycles of birth, death and renewal.

Through its location at the entrance of the National Gallery, visitors will be able enter the ‘mouth’ of the sculpture and walk into the curved space to experience darkness that is illuminated by light beams emanating from the hundreds of perforations on its surface.

During the day its highly polished mirrored surface will reflect the imagery of the floating world, the transience of passers-by, cars, birds in flight and passing clouds. At night the Ouroboros will be lit internally, returning its light to the world.