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Twenty-seven lion sculptures which have been dotted around central London until 24 September 2021.
Blog Archives
Wild Table of Love | Pull up a stool and dine with the animals at Gillie and Marc’s latest public sculpture
The story behind the art installation in Paternoster Square, on show until May 2023.
Wild Table of Love by Gillie and Marc stands in Paternoster Square
Sculptures of familiar characters, Rabbitwoman and Dogman, have been spotted in cities across the world, bringing messages of love, acceptance and adventure. And for their latest stop… the City of London’s Paternoster Square. British-Australian artist duo Gillie and Marc have brought their beloved characters to host an animal banquet in the shadow of the British capital’s iconic St Paul’s Cathedral.
In a sculptural installation unveiled last summer, Dogman and Rabbitwoman share a feast with 10 of the world’s endangered animals: African elephant, hippo, Masai giraffe, koala, Bengal tiger, chimpanzee, Grevy’s zebra, Northern white rhino, lion, and mountain gorilla. The animal sculptures’ relaxed meal is in contrast to their real-life fight for survival. The bronze animals are perched on their own stools as they surround a table covered in crockery and food. Directly opposite the hosts are two empty stools, waiting for members of the public to take a seat. Although the sculpture is on show until the summer, they have recently been accompanied by a festive collection of fir trees over the Christmas period.
Pull up a stool…
- The Wild Table of Love is on show now until May 2023. At Paternoster Square, St Paul’s, City of London, EC4M 7DX. Nearest stations: St Paul’s or City Thameslink. For more information, visit the Gillie and Marc website.
London hosts thought-provoking sculpture trails for The World Reimagined
A series of globes on four trails across the capital aim to educate about the legacy of the transatlantic slave trade.
The Road to Freedom, Hidden in Plain Sight by Asiko Okelarin
This autumn, a new sculpture trail has popped up in several districts of London. Entitled ‘The World ReImagined’, a series of individually designed globes aim to educate and provoke conversation about the history and legacy of transatlantic trade of enslaved Africans.
As well as in other cities across the UK, four trails have been laid in the capital, in the City of London; Camden to Westminster; Southwark to Lambeth; and Hackney to Newham. In total nationwide, 103 globes have been each decorated by an artist, speaking to one of nine themes of the journey of discovery, including Mother Africa; the Reality of being Enslaved; Stolen Legacy – the Rebirth of a Nation; Abolition and Emancipation; a Complex Triangle; Echoes in the Present; Still We Rise; Expanding Soul; and Reimagine the Future. Each globe is perched on a stand with a QR code so visitors can scan to find out more.
- The Camden-Westminster trail starts by Mornington Crescent station and ends at Cardinal Place.
- The City of London trail starts by the Royal Exchange and ends at Aldgate Square.
- The Southwark-Lambeth trail starts by Peckham Library and ends at Windrush Square in Brixton.
- The Hackney-Newham trail starts at Dalston Curve Garden and ends at Stratford International.
Meanwhile, there will be a series of related events across the capital, including history tours, art and poetry exhibitions, evening courses, talks and more, for the duration of the exhibition.
Yet Still We Arise by Winston Branch in the City (left) and Speak Up Speak Out by Richard Mensah in Brixton (right)
- The World ReImagined trails are on now until late October 2022. For more information, visit the World ReImagined website.
Find out what else is on in London
Take a walk on the arty side as Sculpture in the City launches free tours to mark Sculpture Week London
City of London Guides will be taking art lovers on free guided tours of this year’s SITC artworks.
Summer Moon by Ugo Rondinone is among the artworks on the Sculpture in the City walk
© Nick Turpin
Sculpture in the City is launching a series of free guided walking tours of its latest edition to coincide with Sculpture Week London 2022.
The inaugural Sculpture Week takes place from 12-18 September 2022 and celebrates London’s wide collection of public sculpture. The week-long event is a collaboration between Frieze Sculpture, the Fourth Plinth programme in Trafalgar Square and Sculpture in the City. During the celebration, the latest Fourth Plinth commission will be unveiled, as well as the opening of this year’s Freize Sculpture in Regent’s Park.
Sculpture in the City is an annual public art exhibition, which sees contemporary sculptures erected at various sites across the City of London. Currently in its 11th edition, the 2022/23 collection launched in June, with pieces in situ until spring next year. The 11th edition of SITC features 20 artworks from internationally acclaimed and emerging artists, as well as six sculptures from the previous year.
During Sculpture Week London, Sculpture in the City has teamed up with City of London Guides to host free guided walking tours of the 11th edition artworks, displayed against a backdrop of some of the Square Mile’s most iconic architecture.
- Sculpture in the City tours for Sculpture Week London 2022 take place from 13-18 September 2022. Tues-Fri 6pm-7.30pm, Sat-Sun 11.30am-1pm and 6pm-7.30pm. Meeting point: Undershaft, City of London, EC3A 8AH. Nearest station: Aldgate, Bank or Liverpool Street. For more information and to register for a free place, visit the Sculpture in the City website.
Find out what else is on in London right now
Sculpture in the City 2021/2022 | Alfresco art exhibition is back in the Square Mile
The free contemporary art exhibition has returned to the City of London for its 10th edition, running until spring 2022.
Bloom Paradise by Jun T Lai is one of the artworks taking part in Sculpture In The City
The annual, outdoor exhibition of contemporary art is back in the City of London. Launched in June 2021, the 10th edition of Sculpture in the City runs until spring 2022. The exhibition sees the streets of the Square Mile turned into an alfresco gallery space for a variety of different sculptures.
Among the artists taking part in the 2021/2022 display include Alice Channer, Ruth Ewan, Isabella Martin, Mike Ballard, Oliver Bragg, Mark Handforth, Eva Rothschild, Laura Arminda Kingsley, Tatiana Wolska, Guillaume Vandame, Bram Ellens, Jake Elwes, Jun T Lai, Regitze Engelsborg Karlsen, Almuth Tebbenhoff, Rosanne Robertson, Laure Prouvost and Elisa Artesero. The sculptures and installations have been erected at various points around the City, such as Leadenhall Market and the ‘Cheesegrater’.
- The 10th edition of Sculpture In The City is on from now until Spring 2022. At various sites around the Square Mile. Nearest stations: Fenchurch Street, Monument or Liverpool Street. For more information and a map of the artworks, visit the Sculpture In The City website.
Read more on London’s art exhibitions and installations here.
Travel to the ancient world with the Crystal Palace dinosaurs
The history of the Victorian life-sized models of prehistoric dinosaurs and mammals in Crystal Palace Park.
Victorian sculptures of Iguanodons at Crystal Palace Park
Crystal Palace is famous for many things – its football club (actually located in Selhurst), its telecommunications tower (South London’s very own Eiffel Tower) and for being the site of the actual Crystal Palace building. However, it is also famous for another unique sight – the world’s first dinosaur statues.
Following the success of the Great Exhibition in Hyde Park in 1851, the building was such a success, it was erected permanently on a huge site on Sydenham Hill in 1854. The Crystal Palace was sort of a theme park-cum-museum for Victorians, bringing attractions, antiquities and experiences most had never seen before. To accompany the palace, the surrounding land (in what is now the park) was landscaped with many features added, including lakes, a maze, and rides. Towards the south-west corner of the park, a dinosaur park was created by sculptor Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins (1807-1894), with landscaping by architect (and creator of the Crystal Palace) Sir Joseph Paxton (1803-1865) and Professor David T Ansted (1814-1880).
In the mid 19th century, Victorians were further behind in their knowledge of dinosaurs than we are today. Palaeontologists and archaeologists of the time were still trying to piece together exactly what the prehistoric creatures looked like by studying fossils. When you visit the dinosaur sculptures of Crystal Palace today, you may well find it humorous to see how the Victorians’ believed they appeared. However, it’s important to acknowledge the people who made them just didn’t have the science we have today.
The Megaloceros
An engraving of the sculptures, the Crystal Palace itself and other attractions in the grounds by George Baxter (1804–1867). Year unknown.
© Wellcome Images
Thirty sculptures from the prehistoric world were placed across three islands, grouped in species and following a rough timeline of their existence (Palaeozoic, Mesozoic and Cenozoic eras). The park made history as Hawkins’ creations were the first full-scale models of the extinct creatures in the world. The new Crystal Palace Company commissioned him to sculpture the ancient creatures, with advice from palaeontologist and biologist Sir Richard Owen (1804-1892). Hawkins set up a studio in the park and spent months creating replicas of the dinosaurs and other prehistoric mammals in 1853-1855. Using the scientific advice of Owen and other experts, the dinosaurs’ skin, claws and how they stood was mostly due to guess work by Hawkins. Read the rest of this entry
THE END finally lands on Trafalgar Square’s Fourth Plinth
Heather Phillipson’s sculpture of whipped cream is the 13th commission on the Fourth Plinth.
THE END by Heather Phillipson on the Fourth Plinth in Trafalgar Square
The latest artwork to adorn the Fourth Plinth in Trafalgar Square was at last unveiled on 30 July 2020. Artist Heather Phillipson‘s THE END is the 13th project to take its place in the central London setting since the programme began in 1998. The unveiling was delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic and ensuing lockdown and replaces the previous piece, The Invisible Enemy Should Not Exist by Michael Rakowitz.
THE END’s unveiling has been a long time coming for Phillipson, whose piece was selected for the commission back in 2017. However, it’s themes around dystopia and chaos seem more apt than ever right now as the world remains drastically changed due to the ongoing pandemic.
Standing tall at nearly 31ft, the artwork conveys the focus of Trafalgar Square as a location for celebration and protest. It features a giant dollop of whipped cream, topped with a cherry, fly and a drone. The latter transmits a live feed of the square via http://www.theend.today website, giving visitors a unique perspective of the Westminster landmark through the ‘eyes’ of the artwork.
The fourth plinth was originally designed as part of a quartet by architect Sir Charles Barry when he designed Trafalgar Square in the mid 19th century. It was originally scheduled to showcase an equestrian statue of King William IV, but the plan was never realised due to austerity cuts.
- THE END by Heather Phillipson is on display from 30 July 2020 until September 2022. At the Fourth Plinth, Trafalgar Square, Westminster, WC2. Nearest stations: Charing Cross, Piccadilly Circus, Embankment or Leicester Square.
The End is the 13th commission on the Fourth Plinth
Read more on London’s art exhibitions and installations here.
Scenes in the Square: Meet icons of cinema on Leicester Square’s art trail
Mar 14
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Pose with your favourite film character at this outdoor art exhibition, which runs until July 2023.
Follow the words of Virginia Woolf with ‘Around The Corner’ from Culture Mile
One of the ‘Around the Corner’ installations by St Paul’s Cathedral
If you’ve walked near St Paul’s Cathedral or the Barbican recently, you may have noticed the appearance of some gold word sculptures dotted around. These installations are part of Culture Mile’s new commission ‘Around The Corner’.
From the north side of the Millennium Bridge to Aldersgate Street by the Barbican tube station, a series of 12 installations quote a line from Virginia Woolf’s 1922 novel Jacob’s Room: “What are you going to meet if you turn this corner?” The piece has been created by architects Karsten Huneck and Bernd Truempler from KHBT.
Starting at St Peter’s Hill with the word ‘What’, you can follow the sentence along points of the walk, with each sculpture featuring information to help you find your way.
- ‘Around the Corner’ is on in the City of London until 30 April 2020 (update – it appears to have been extended due to the Covid-19 pandemic and is still on show in June 2020). For more information, visit the Culture Mile website.
Walking with The Snowman: Follow the festive art trail at London Bridge City
Dec 2
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A fun activity for families to find the painted Snowman sculptures inspired by The 12 Days of Christmas.
Memoirs Of A Metro Girl 