Rachel Whiteread is going for gold in Whitechapel

Now, as part of the Cultural Olympiad, Rachel Whiteread will fill the gap with her first permanent public commission in Britain, made possible by a £200,000 grant from the Art Fund.

The Turner Prize-winning artist, who lives nearby, is making casts from the building's existing features and creating gilded leaves and branches, left, which will reflect light. She said: "I hope my work will have a positive and lasting impact for the area."
Louise Jury