A unique piece of public art with an optical source of movement, this sculpture can be seen outside the main building of the Trumpington Park & Ride.
Trumpington Resident's Association describes the sculpture:
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'The artist is Oliver Hein, who says that he is one of four artists working on the public art scheme for the Cambridge Guided Busway. 'My project has the title GEMS: a sculpture made of old oak and solid glass, combined with video footage, about the villages along the busway as well as the city of Cambridge. It is all about the people who live in the towns and villages along the new busway and the city, their favorite places in their neighborhoods, the places they regard as their `gems´ and that they would like to show to other people as part of the permanent video sculpture, which will be located at Trumpington Park & Ride terminal.' '
The sculpture is described in this article from the Daily Telegraph:
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'Council spend £23,000 on artwork for over-budget busway
A council was condemned for spending £23,000 on a public art sculpture at a new guided busway - which is already £1.3million over budget. 7:00AM GMT 11 Jan 2010
The 'Gems' sculpture at Trumpington busway terminus in Cambridge was designed to mark Cambridgeshire's controversial £116 million guided busway.
But the long-delayed scheme, originally due to open in Spring 2009, is already expected to be £1.3million over budget by the time it is completed.
The artwork consists of two wooden railway sleepers - which can be bought for just a few pounds - cradling a tiny glass cube.
Locals condemned the sculpture as a ''frivolous'' waste of cash and said the Cambridge County Council's main priority should be finishing the busway.
Resident Carly Hilts, 23, said she was unimpressed by the artwork when she saw it at terminus next to the Trumpington Park and Ride.
She said: ''Like so much public art these days it's completely conceptual and awful to look at.
''It's doesn't brighten up the area at all and commuters are hardly likely to have time to watch the videos.
''I was shocked to discover how much it cost, it's totally frivolous. It's just another ridiculous chapter in the long-running Busway saga.''
The sculpture was designed by German artist Oliver Hein and conceals two LCD screens inside a glass prism.
Two silent 42-minute videos are displayed on each side of the prism featuring local residents in their favourite places around Cambridgeshire.
The two sleepers, which have been hollowed out for the electrics, are reclaimed from old railway lines and can usually be bought for as little as £12.50.
It is one of four installations designed for the busway route, which council officials defended as a necessary part of the project.
Roy Pegram, Cabinet Member for Growth, Infrastructure and Strategic Planning, said: ''It is a planning requirement of all major developments that public art is included and The Busway is no exception.
''The budget for art is a tiny fraction of the overall cost of the route and has already been welcomed by other local councils and organisations who contributed towards the cost.''
A council spokesman insisted overspend on the busway project would be recouped.
She said: ''We will seek to cover any potential overspend for the Council by using extra developer funding which we are negotiating, or Government transport funding.''
Matthew Elliott, Chief Executive of the TaxPayers' Alliance, slammed Cambridgeshire County Council for wasting money on necessary ''frills''.
He said: ''It is preposterous that the council is squandering such a huge amount of taxpayers' money on arty distractions that add nothing to the value of the transport service.
''This seems particularly crazy given that the Guided Busway is running behind schedule and way over budget.
''These frills are unnecessary and should be cut out.''
The three other projects include time capsules buried below special paving slabs, seating walls and colourful stained glass bus shelters at a cost of £76,500.
They were designed by artists Mark Dixon, Jo Roberts and Catrin Jones and are currently being installed at locations along the 40km busway running from St Ives to Trumpington.'