They're pitching it to be a magnet for commerce, trend and whatever else. Intended knock-on being the whole of London tripping South of the river to hang around and gaze at those four white towers - two rebuilt and one topped with a private viewing bubble (if you believe the masterplan 3D flyover) On the day we went, however, it didn't look to be off on the right foot... but maybe the rain had put people off.
Pity them. During the downpour was undoubtedly the best time to admire the soaked remains of the power-giant. the dank open-topped main hall echoing watery splashes and drips with the occasional waterfall pouring from an open wound of I-beams and brick up high. A rickety walk out over the space was worth the 10min queue (but perhaps not 3 hours when first opened).
Further into the building came the real exhibition although certainly not the real attraction. A walk up 4 stories of gutted work-floors revealed long lines of looping Chinese videos making little sense to us although surely the point. The highlight - a mesh wall of thousands of slowly rotting apples - the room smelt like an evil incarnation of the Body Shop.
Rent-a-mob security helped keep an industrial and impersonal feel to the visit. After being pointed down a long series of construction-site style staircases we were ejected back into the pouring rain.
A quick dash over to the old Serpentine Gallery relocated to here as a Yautcha revealed the expected condensed and steamy sweat-box too busy for consideration, cornered by a gift shop with positively the most odd collection of items including replica FIFA, Nobel and Emmy awards at £85 each.
This is an unmissable photo opportunity (although the wet and no-camera warnings [ignore] kept mine at home) and may just be a better and certainly more intriguing experience than the future development.
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