Christmas Lights and London Traffic

There are some beautiful Christmas lights in London this year. Unfortunately, it is not always easy to get the best view due to the constant stream of buses, taxis and cars.

My favourite lights are the angels lining Regent Street. The lights build up gradually to fill the wing segments.

There are gold angels lining the route from Piccadilly Circus towards Trafalgar Square.

The lights on The Strand emerging from Trafalgar Square are the same as last year.

My second favourite Christmas lights are in New Bond Street. They are a combination of gradually completely fans, feathers and centrepieces as in the photo below.

Central light in New Bond Street

Feather Christmas lights line New Bond Street

Oxford Street's lights aren't quite as dazzling. The street benefits from the additional lighting on the front of the major stores like Selfridges, Marks & Spencer, House of Fraser and John Lewis.

Just caught Selfridges on camera before a bus arrived

House of Fraser lights caught on camera at a quieter moment

The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) is using the Oxford Street Lights to celebrate the launch of its Little Stars Campaign.

Little Stars Christmas Lights in Oxford Street, London

Unfortunately, my photos do not really do the lights justice. It is hard to video or even get the right angle for a photograph when your view is constantly interrupted by double decker buses and constant traffic. Never mind all the honking horns and occasional sirens. Seeing emergency vehicles stuck in traffic was worrying.

Pedestrians have to cross Oxford Circus between cars stuck in traffic

Fire engine stuck in traffic between Regent Street and Piccadilly Circus

It simply wasn't possible for me to take a picture of the Regent Street angels from the best angle. I would have been flattened by at least one bus and several taxis. I couldn't help thinking back to the wonderful Lumière London event of last January. We were able to view the wonderful lights unimpeded by traffic.

It was easier to view the lights at Sloane Square and Duke of York Square as they have larger pedestrianised areas.

Christmas Lights in Sloane Square, London

Christmas Tree in Duke of York Square, Chelsea

And you could admire the decorations safely from all angles and all levels at Westfields Shopping Centre. The lighting just seemed to get better and better as day passed into night.

Christmas Lights at Westfields Shopping Centre

Still, it would be great to enjoy a walk underneath the angels of Regent Street - even if it was just for an evening or two again.

Karen Andrews is a freelance French to English translator/transcreator, content writer and editor. She has a strong background in marketing and project management.

Email Karen for further information via karenanglicityen@gmail.com in French, German or English.

French inspire Lumière London

London lit up...

... both with lights and smiling faces. 

London's first light festival fascinated both tourists and Londoners alike. The French-inspired Lumière London had everyone marvelling at light displays across the city. Even Sunday's early morning snow and a cold winter's night couldn't keep them off the streets.

I started my walk between light displays at Oxford Circus. It was great to be able to walk around Central London unimpeded by traffic. Sometimes progress was slow due to the sheer numbers out on the street - despite having all the road and pavements to walk on.

Normally if you lay down on your back in the middle of Oxford Circus, you can expect to be flattened by one or more double decker buses. Some spectators braved the cold road surface to get right underneath 1.8 London by Janet Echelman. The changing colours were glorious from any angle.

Light display hanging over Oxford Circus

Heading down Regent Street, I found my favourite musical light display, Keyframes. I loved the moving light figures on the front of Liberty House. This display was originally created by Groupe LAPS for the famous Fête des Lumières in Lyon, France.

Another Lyon creation appeared further down Regent Street and in Piccadilly. I found it fascinating to watch the movements of  Les Luminéoles. The fish floated and swooped above our heads, gradually changing colour. It was spectacular sight against the night sky in a very familiar street.

Further on down, there was another surprise... an enormous, noisy elephant. You could even see Catherine Garret's Elephantastic from the rear in Piccadilly. Eros and the lights in Piccadilly Circus aren't used to being upstaged by an elephant.

I struggled to make out the pictures on the more usual type of son et lumière in Piccadilly. When I reached St James Square, my smartphone went on strike. It refused point blank to take any more photos in front of Chatham House. It would not be coaxed back into action.

Sea of plastic in Trafalgar Square fountain

                                                                         

By Trafalgar Square, I realised that I could use my iPad camera instead. There were plastic bottles floating in the fountains. I preferred my native city's illustration of the perils of plastic in our oceans. I saw the Bristol Whales lit up at night last year. By 2050, the seas will contain more plastic than fish.

Bristol Whales at night

Highlighting plastic in our oceans

 

The Neon Dogs on The Strand were so popular that it took quite a while to get to the front. The brightly-lit dogs even had a few neon bones.

A longer walk took me to Westminster. It was amazing to see the familiar façade of Westminster Abbey displayed so differently. The lights picked out all the statues really well. 

Spectacularly lit Westminster Abbey

Next stop was Leicester Square. Here I found Shakespeare surrounded by a garden of light. 2016 marks the 400th Anniversary of his death. 

Shakespeare's statue in the middle of Leicester Square, London

The cinemas in front and to his left displayed Star Wars and The Hateful Eight. I wondered what he would have thought of such modern entertainments.

Shakespeare's view of Star Wars in Leicester Square

My last stop was in front a brightly-lit ballgown. As one bystander commented, it was a bit see-through to actually be worn.

Brightly lit ballgown with changing colours

It was well short of midnight. After such a fairytale night, this Cinderella's feet were aching. So she headed home. By tube, not pumpkin. 

Creativity and Light in Chihuly's Lumière Exhibition

I first saw Dale Chihuly's amazingly innovative glass creations at his exhibition in the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew in 2005. I recently discovered another highly creative Chihuly exhibition in London.

Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

Kew Gardens is one of my favourite places to visit. I have spent many happy hours there with my family and friends over the years. Chihuly's creations within such very familiar settings had unexpected appeal. As you walked through the grounds and the glasshouses, there were so many surprises among the plants - and even in the lake (see above).

I instantly loved the American artist's contemporary, intricate designs. They are very colourful. I particularly remember his bright yellow "Sun" with its enormous glass "squiggles". I have never seen anything so original in glass. Chihuly's chosen medium has a particularly strong appeal with its transparent, luminous and reflective qualities. I still have a strong memory of this unique exhibition from 10 years ago.

London's New Bond Street
On my way to the Chinese Whispers exhibition featured in earlier blogs, a glow ahead caught my attention in the fading evening light. The glowing light came from the windows of the Halcyon Gallery in New Bond Street. Chihuly's creativity had drawn me in again.

Glowing window from Chihuly's acrylic light painting

Lumière Exhibition

The art gallery was holding an exhibition of Chihuly's sculptures and acrylic light drawings. This time, the light paintings caught my particular attention. My favourites used a mixture of extremely bright colours. The exhibition was entitled Lumière after the French word for "light". Lumière also conjures up the Age of Enlightenment in French philosophy and the early French filmmakers, the Lumière brothers. Thus, the title conveys both light and a sense of groundbreaking vision.

I later discovered from an online video how the pictures and sculptures were made. The acrylic paintings are lit from behind in light boxes as well as from the front. This light adds even greater intensity to the colours.

I was surprised to learn that Chihuly works with a glassblowing team. The glassblowers bring the creative vision into being under his enthusiastic supervision. There is no doubt that Chihuly is the innovator and visionary.

Such abstract designs and bright colours may not be to everyone's taste. It can take some time to adjust and appreciate the creativity. Historically, the work of master artists and great innovators has not always been appreciated in their lifetime. Chihuly is certainly a unique artist.

Lumière is a very appropriate title for this exhibition for 3 reasons:

1. It uses light creatively

2. It is the work of a leading and groundbreaking artistic "light"

3. 2015 is the UN/UNESCO International Year of Light

Karen Andrews of
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