The story revolves around an art competition called anti-pavilion, which features a shark sculpture that wins the competition. However, the London Borough of Hackney tries to shut down the warehouse hosting the competition, citing zoning issues. The sharks were initially installed in a canal but were stopped by an injunction. Four sharks were already in the water, but the final one was blocked.
The sharks were later relocated to the Islington Boat Club, which offered them a new home. However, the boat club eventually asked anti-pavilion to take the sharks back, citing unknown reasons. The sharks are now set to be removed by the end of the month and returned to the warehouse, pending further planning permission.
Here are the key facts extracted from the text:
1. The narrator stumbled upon a shark art installation while riding a bike in London.
2. The sharks were part of an art competition held by Auntie Pavilion.
3. The art competition had a history of shark art in England.
4. The sharks were initially located next to a warehouse in the London Borough of Hackney.
5. The narrator found the sharks next to a boat club in Islington, not Hackney.
6. Anti-Pavilion held their first art competition five years ago, which was won by a piece called HVAC.
7. The winner of the next year's competition was an inflatable yellow barge.
8. The year after, the winner was a piece called Potemkin Theater.
9. The London Borough of Hackney tried to shut down the warehouse and artist studio, citing unauthorized structures.
10. The sharks were chosen as the winner of the competition, and their construction began.
11. The Guardian newspaper wrote an article about the sharks, which Anti-Pavilion claims contained defamatory misquotes and deliberate misrepresentations.
12. The London Borough of Hackney tried to stop the installation of the sharks, but four of them were already in the water.
13. An emergency injunction was granted to stop the installation of the final shark.
14. The four sharks that were already in the water were allowed to stay, but Anti-Pavilion was blocked from doing anything without express planning permission.
15. The Islington Boat Club offered to take the sharks and provide a new home for them.
16. The boat club agreed to take the sharks, contingent on telling Anti-Pavilion about any bureaucratic paperwork problems that might arise.
17. The sharks were moved to the boat club, but later, the club told Anti-Pavilion to take the sharks back.
18. The reason for the boat club's decision is unknown, but speculation suggests it may be due to bureaucratic trouble related to their rights to the water.