French artist Didier Faustino has installed a spiky stage in front of the Architectural Association in London's Bedford Square to encourage spontaneous public speaking.
The stage is the second edition of Faustino's This is not a Love Song, which was first created for the grounds of a 1950s villa designed by architect and sculptor André Bloc.
At the villa on the outskirts of Paris, a brick and mortar wall resembling a cartoon explosion frames the entrance to an existing concrete folly. The stand-alone installation outside the Architectural Association school of architecture (AA) features the same pointy silhouette but with a fluorescent yellow finish.
According to the artist, the "monochrome platform invites events and performances" with a shape that opens onto the square.
Faustino also suggested that the installation could be used by the public as a speakers' corner – a place where people are able to indulge in public oration and debate.
"This installation presents a certain approach to performative practice in the closely-linked fields of contemporary art and architecture, representative of Didier Faustino's obsession with the location of the body in private and public space," said a project text released by the artist.
Many of Faustino's previous projects have included an element of social interaction, including an intervention at an arts centre in Cincinnati comprising a chain-link fence that guides visitors through the space.
The AA installation is made from a steel structure clad in plywood panels and painted to give it a uniform appearance that stands out against the surrounding Georgian architecture.
Organised events that have taken place so far on the stage include a performance by a musical ensemble. A representative from the AA told Dezeen it has been popular as a location for photo opportunities but has not attracted many rabble-rousers.
This is not a Love Song was inaugurated on 10 October and forms one half of an exhibition titled Undomesticated Places, alongside a video installation presented inside the AA Gallery.
The video called Exploring Dead Buildings 2.0 documents a month-long project undertaken by Faustino in Havana, which saw him strap a cage-like camera rig to a local resident who was then asked to explore the ruins of the city's School of Ballet.
Faustino's other projects include a Baroque mirror with a hole in its centre that recalls a glory hole, and a group of hollow figures made from folded pieces of carpet.
Bedford Square regularly hosts installations presented by the Architectural Association and its students. Previous projects have included a tree-like pavilion by German-Chilean office Gun Architects that recreated the climate of a rainforest and a swirling wooden pavilion designed by students from the school's Unit 2 architecture course.
The Undomesticated Places exhibition runs until 12 December at the AA Gallery.