ART. Cont'd.

In pictures: Tate Modern anniversary

Photos from L to R: #1. Double Blind, by the Spanish artist Juan Munoz, was one of 2001's most popular exhibits. The multi-level sculpture was different according to where viewers looked at it from. #2. One of the most celebrated pieces to have appeared at the Tate Modern in 2002 was Anish Kapoor's Marsyas. The enormous, trumpet-shaped piece was one of the world's biggest indoor sculptures. #3. The giant, foggy sun housed in the Tate was an enormous hit in 2003 and 2004. The installation, by Danish artist Olafur Eliasson, attracted more than one million visitors in two months.

Photos from L to R: #1. The installation, which was in the massive Turbine Hall, was the cause of some controversy. Some staff said the project, which used mirrors, lights and mist, made them feel ill. #2. Since its launch in 2000, Tate Modern has become one of the biggest tourist draws in the city, with free entrance to its main exhibition spaces. #3. The top of the gallery has become a popular cafe and meeting point, offering panoramic views of the north bank of the Thames.'

Dying' sparrow on show at Tate

A "dying" sparrow has become the first of a series of installations in a new space at London's Tate Modern.

Created by Danish and Norwegian duo Michael-Elmgreen and Ingar Dragset, the stunned sparrow appears to be trapped inside the museum window. In fact, the mechanical creature is the work of the animatronics team behind the critically-acclaimed BBC show Walking With Dinosaurs. The artists said the bird's incidental appearance was part of their message. "We found out that sparrows are called 'Cockney sparrows' in Britain and are a working class symbol," said Mr Dragset. "We wanted to show that working class culture and working class pride is dying out, even though there are still as many poor people."

Common theme: The installations, in the ground floor space that used to house the Tate Modern shop, will rotate every eight weeks. All the artists are working with the theme The Public World of The Private Space, examining how "the human condition is altered by the public or private environment". "When the artists came to us, it seemed quite perverse that for this inaugural project the whole space would be completely empty apart from this tiny bird in the window," said Tate Modern curator Susan May. "People walking past outside can see this drama unfurling, or they might miss it. It really depends on how preoccupied they are." -BBCNews.