Cathy's Art Diary

Fun public sculpture trail around London of decorated eggs to mark the Easter holidays. The trail was organised by Elephant Family to raise money for their conservation work and had a total of 147 eggs scattered around the city. It was accompanied by a good app on which you could log your egg sightings and learn more about the designers and sponsors. The map was a bit difficult to read at times particularly in locations on various levels but that adds to the sense of it being a hunt. The eggs seem quite delicate as quite a few had been taken away for repair. I collected 46 mainly over four sites Covent Garden, Marylebone, Battersea Power Station and Canary Wharf. I’d hoped to do Sloane Street which seemed to be packed with them but I ran out of time. It was a good excuse to have a wander round these areas and some of them took you into strange locations like pharmacies and hotels. I think my favourite was this shell egg in Covent Garden by interior design company Campbell-Rey ...

Fun exhibition in Covent Garden showcasing costumes from the Tina Turner Musical. Each of the six costumes reference a hit and was shown with a photograph of the costume in the show and the original outfit being worn by Tina Turner. I was amazed at how small the dresses were and assumed they might be reduced in size for the show but there is no indication of that in the commentary online so I maybe the actress playing the lead is tiny. The display marks six years of the show in the West End and was put on by the musical in partnership with Women’s Aid, who Tina Turner was a long-standing supporter of, to raise awareness and bring an end to domestic abuse. Closed 10 November 2024  

Fun sculpture trail around Covent Garden of decorated gorillas. You know I love a sculpture trail and I found this by chance while having a wander through Covent Garden. It is in aid of Tusk which supports conservation projects in Africa. I managed 8 works of the 15 in about an hour and hope to get back to find some more on the other side of the market. They are decorated by artists and celebrities. My favourite was Frankie outside the opera house by John and Jen Cleese.   Closed 14 October 2023    

Fun installation in Covent Garden of student responses to the musical Frozen which has recently opened in London. 2nd year students from Central Sain Martins were invited to create high-fashion, abstract interpretations of Christopher Oran’s scenery and costume designs for the show. The outfits focused on certain aspects of the story and design including the idea of the human side of animals such as the reindeer Sven. Another set looked at how different seats in the theatre can give different perceptions of the set and costumes. It was a shame the labels were so small that they were too small to read. I ended up photographing them so I could blow them up a bit. I particularly liked the outfits that responded to the effect of ice in the show from one which looked like a bouffant wedding dress to an angular grey catsuit.

Bright installation in Covent Garden of neon lights by Chila Burman. This consisted of huge, wacky neon sculptures around the market building of peacocks, tigers and snakes and bulls illuminating the space, plus uplifting words wonderful kaleidoscopic colours, all inspired by Burman’s Hindu Punjabi heritage. I’d not realised this was there and had already found the sculpture of a tiger in lights but was bowled over when I entered the market building to find this mix of images and quotes. I loved this snake and pig. It was all a bit like their Christmas decorations but not at Christmas. Closed 10 October 2021      

Four fun sculptures in Covent Garden by Whatshisname (aka Sebastian Burdon). It was a lovely surprise to turn corner and find two of these bright, Jeff Koon’s like, balloon dogs in yoga positions from his POPek collection. I think Downward Dog was my favourite. Always fun to have some public art which just makes you smile. It was a nice touch that while the works are in place if you post a picture of one of them on social media with the hashtag #castle4bluecross £1 will be donated to the Blue Cross pet charity.  

Fun exhibition in the windows of empty shop windows in Covent Garden of accessories and props from the Royal Ballet at the Royal Opera House. There was a window of point shoes where each was designed to represent different departments within the opera house and a fun installation of tutus slotted one inside another. Around the corner I found a window of set designs, props and costumes for the ballet The Tsarina’s Slippers. What a great use of these empty spaces to promote their neighbour and to keep this area looking vibrant and fun in difficult times. Officially closed on 10 August 2021 but I viewed it on 16th.

Two fun installations in Covent Garden as part of Westminster Council’s Inside Out Festival. The main festival has moved to January next year due to Covid but a few of planned outside activities have gone ahead. The first one I spotted was Anthony Burrill’s huge poster on a building on Henrietta Street overlooking the plaza saying Love, Hope and Joy in bright colours. It is very striking and brings colour and joy to the square outside St Paul’s Church. The second, facing James Street, is a reflective sphere by Ben Cullen which is lit by the sun and artificial lights on one side. It reflects the people and architecture around it so is ever changing. Both add a bit of fun and life to a slightly sad, quiet Covent Garden where a number of shops haven’t reopened yet. It was also wonderful when I was there to listen to a string quartet in the atrium area. Nothing to do with the art work but worth mentioning! It was so moving to hear live music again.    

Delightful installation in Covent Garden by Charles Pétillon which fills the market with white balloons. I love the way the balloons change the space. There is a distinctive smell of rubber balloon and the acoustics have changed. A rather fun string quartet whose music would usually have filled the space was slightly muted! It also makes you look again at the architecture as you are looking at it in a different way. It’s also worth going to the pop up gallery next to the Opera House to see photographs of other example of his work and a film about how the work was installed. Reviews Independent Evening Standard