 |
| St Paul's Cathedral, Martin Firrell's projection. Photograph taken from The Standard |
Across the city, over the past week or so, we have seen the marking of the 350th anniversary of the Great Fire of London. In order to commemorate this pivotal moment in our nation's history, we have seen a series of installations, performances and talks spread across our capital. These events have been designed to offer a modern perspective on a pivotal historic moment. I personally enjoy celebrating the colourful past of our vibrant, cosmopolitan city and of course a hint of creativity is always welcome!
Above is a short video showing the Fire Garden, performed and curated by Compagnie Carabosse, outside the Tate Modern on it's front lawn.
A short video (above) from TimeOut London showcasing the Dominoes sculpture which moved through and transformed 4 miles of the city. As a notion to the flames, the energy spreads quickly across the square mile, symbolically linking everyday paths with those of the great fire of London. 23,000 breeze blocks follow the route and lead to a flame-filled finale.
Our social media feeds have been filled with images of London's famous landmarks adorned with flames, playful interventions dancing across our city and the sheer delight and amazement of the general public.
 |
 |
| London 1666 model burning on the evening of the 4th September. Photographs taken from Artichoke's Twitter page, +ArtichokeTrust |
Over the last week or so we have seen or heard a great deal about London's Burning collaboration by American Artist, David Best with creative group Artichoke. The replica structure represents 17th century London. It was built by a large team of dedicated individuals including: a group of young Londoners, carpenters, laborers and a series of specialists. The craft, the physical structure and the choreography of the flames have all been determined by a number of different stages of design. The sculpture has purposely been created to slowly burn and create a spectacle, in contrast to the great fire of London.
 |
| The model of 17th century London ready to burn. This image shows only a small fragment of the built structure, we can see the level of detail and craftsmanship of each individual building. Photograph taken from +ArtichokeTrust twitter page |
It is exciting to see how people from different walks of life have come together to play a part in such a memorable event. This project stemmed from a moment in our nation's history but it has transformed into a legacy in securing opportunities for young people to learn new skills. Those involved have shared their life experiences with others and cemented a sense of community pride within the project.
Above is the live stream from Sunday night's London's Burning event. It shows a wonderful insight into all of the hard work that went into securing the project right from the beginning through to the end....watch out for the flames!
