London's Tate Modern - a towering, menacing bastion of industrial design that was once a power station.<br/> <br />It then re-emerged as one of the world's most important art museums.<br/> <br />Now, part of the underbelly of this famous riverside landmark is being re-launched, with a new space dedicated to live performance art and installations, called "The Tanks".<br/> <br />Internationally celebrated architects Herzog & de Meuron were given the challenge of transforming the underground oil tanks into a sleek exhibition space.<br/> <br />Tate Modern's Director Chris Dercon.<br/> <br />SOUNDBITE: (English) Director, Tate Modern, Chris Dercon, saying:<br/> <br />"What makes the tanks unique is that it's neither a white cube or a black box, it's not a theatre but it's not a laboratorium either. It's something completely new and it will challenge artists to make new work."<br/> <br />South Korean artist Sung Hwan Kim was amongst the first to be commissioned.<br/> <br />His piece "Temper Clay", focuses on the theme of property, by juxtaposing film of his parents' modern apartment with their countryside home.<br/> <br />SOUNDBITE: South Korean Artist Sung Hwan Kim, saying (English):<br/> <br />"At first, yeah it was unbelievable, because you expect some other artist to be part of the Tate Modern commission, I mean that's how I thought, but maybe I um, but at the same time it was not just about, I was thinking about the context what does it mean to show, because a lot of the exhibition that I have not so many people see it."<br/> <br />The conversion costs 336 million (U.S.) dollars (215 million GBP), which will see a new building added to the museum, helping to expand its size by 60 percent.<br/> <br />The Tanks at the Tate will be open on Wednesday (July 18).<br/> <br />Cindy Martin, Reuters
