Marvin Gaye Chetwynd: The Idol, The Abbey Leisure Centre

Marvin Gaye Chetwynd artist
Marvin Gaye Chetwynd is an original. While she was christened Alalia, the 2012 Turner Prize nominee changed her identity to 'Spartacus Chetwynd' (with the blessing of gallerist Sadie Coles) and then to her current nom de guerre, 'Marvin Gaye', after the awards were over and the hubbub had died down. Now the playful performance artist has turned Abbey Leisure Centre in Barking upside down, with a new installation called The Idol.
Abbey Leisure Centre, Barking
Chetwynd's enormous labyrinth structure is a reinterpretation of the Dagenham idol, a wooden effigy found nearby in 1922 which was rumoured to be from 2250 BC. This small, unassuming wooden figure has become a gigantic metallic robot under the influence of the rambunctious Chetwynd, filled with a soft play area that will stupefy and thrill children who can peer through the eyes of the Idol. 
Marvin Gaye Chetwynd performance
The Idol feels a lot like Chetwynd's carnivalesque performances, which brought us a reimagined Jabba the hut and a Dickensian procession to Dover. Her playful Alice in Wonderland like rabbit hole in Barking is not the multi-coloured kids area you'd expect. The entire structure is enveloped by black and white printed walls and floors, and is dominated by the two storey-high climbing frame made up of a maze of ramps and chambers inside a metallic cage.
Part transformer and part ritualistic totem pole, this is like no playground we've ever seen before...