Evanescent… a free outdoor sound and light installation comes to London
Clusters of giant iridescent bubbles landed in London, bringing joy, colour, and light to one of the darker months of the year, writes James Twomey.
Evanescent is a free, outdoor sound and light installation which comes to London for the first time, having premiered in Melbourne and Sydney, Australia in 2021.
It landed against the Leadenhall Building in the east of the City of London, for the public to enjoy until mid-February.
Evanescent is created by Atelier Sisu, a Sydney-based design studio led by artists Renzo B. Larriviere and Zara Pasfield, who work within the intersection of art and architecture creating large-scale site-specific works that enchant by reinventing spaces.
Evanescent means the quality of being fleeting or vanishing quickly – impermanence.
This immersive environment aims to capture that concept in a visual form – the bubble.
The shimmering inflatable domes will be gathered in clusters of four, reaching 7.5m high, and positioned in the west area of the public realm beneath The Leadenhall Building inviting audiences to move under and around them.
The bubbles are made from a colour-reflecting dichroic film that reacts to the changing light of the sun as it moves across the sky, causing a rainbow of reflection across the ground and a unique picture from every angle.
With the striking backdrop of this dominant City landmark – nicknamed the Cheesegrater– the installation will encourage the public to see their city in a new light.
Evanescent is commissioned by the Eastern City Business Improvement District and delivered by FESTIVAL.ORG, whose production credits include Greenwich+Docklands International Festival.
Bradley Hemmings, founder and artistic director of FESTIVAL.ORG, said: “In the midst of a cost-of-living crisis and the darkest, coldest months of the year, Evanescent will bring uplifting free art to the heart of the City and with it a hopeful sense of wonder for thousands of Londoners.
“We are thrilled to be working with the EC BID and Atelier Sisu to bring this visually stunning installation to London for the first time off the back of a joyous Greenwich + Docklands International Festival 2022”.
Picture: Evanescent at the Leadenhall Building by Atelier Sisu. Picture: Atelier Sisu.
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