Results matching “paint”

German street artist HOMBRE (Hombre Suk) created a mural in Leicester for "Bring the Paint" in 2019. HOMBRE has been painting grafitti in cartoon style illustrations from the 1990s. The artwork in Leicester is located on Belgrave Gate, a major road on the edge of the centre of the city. The shows a man with a red beard, gold chain necklace, and pale blue hat holding a box of spray paints and a spray paint cap. The artwork covers the front of a whole building.

Another mural by the artist has been created a few streets away on the lower part of a building. It feature's the artist's name and a cartoon character of a man with a red beard.

I discovered the artwork in the summer of 2021, and it seems to be in decent shape and is certainly an eye-catching piece at the edge of a small cluster of street art and opposite a church.

Sculpture in the City is held from May each year in the City of London and allows visitors, commuters, and employees to view various sculptures and artwork in the square mile as they go about their days. Sculpture in the City is in its tenth year this year after being cancelled last year, although many of the previous year's sculptures were extended for another year. The sculpture trail beings about well-known artists as well as new talent, and I always enjoy seeing the sculptures.

This year, there are nineteen new (and a few previous from past years) sculptures to see across the City of London. I visited them toward the end of July. Keep reading to see more about the sculptures.

Burial by Alice Channer

The artist was inspired to create these sculptures in appearance to horizontal bodies of humans in a burial. They are made from reclaimed steel from demolished London buildings and altered to appear like organic materials instead of steel. 

Silent Agitator by Ruth Ewan

This sculpture has historical meaning behind it as it was based on a 1917 illustration for the unions of worker's rights and the organisation of eight hour work days and the 5-day working week. The symbolism of the clock references work days and also references attempts to reclaim personal time, which I believe more people have a taste for after going through the past year or working from home or waiting to return to work.

Keeping Time by Isabella Martin

The banner is located on top of a building and reads "Days and nights crash over me like waves". The artwork is an ode to time-keeping and the measurement of time. The artist thought about a shell in a sea with the water washing over it over centuries.

Unititled by Tatiana Wolska

Recycled plastic bottles have been used to create the sculpture appearing to "climb" or crawl on the building. The light-weight material allows them to be suspended in a multitude of places.

symbols by Guillaume Vandame

The flags shown above Leadenhall Market are the flags of the different communities in the LGBT+ space. These symbols represent the community and rights of people to express who they are after some difficult years with the flag banned and the events of 2020 cancelled.

Unititled by Tatiana Wolska

Recycled plastic bottles have been used to create this sculpture hanging suspended above Leadenhall Market. The light-weight material allows them to be suspended in a multitude of places even though they appear large.

Orphans by Bram Ellens

These sculptures were created from canvases. These canvases were paintings that belonged to those who had died and left the artwork orphaned. The artwork was reused to create the sculptures and to give the canvases a new lease of life.

Bloom Paradise by Jun T. Lai

These sculptures were created to bring more positivity into the world after a difficult time. They depict flowers in bloom, though one of the appears to be a jester's hat to me, and they are meant to transport the viewer to a fantasy land. The flowers represent hope, sky, and life.

ReadHead Sunset Stack by Almuth Tebbenhoff

The sculpture represents a beautiful sunset stack made of coloured blocks. The blue represents the earth and the red the sun, and the orange and pink represent the colours of a sunset and the unknowns of the world. 

In Loving Memory by Oliver Bragg

These benches dotted around replicate the "in memory" benches that are common to cities and parks. However, these encapsulate the little memories that we have every day and our memories. There were a few of these dotted around the City of London to discover.

Reactivity by Regitze Engelsborg Karlsen

The artist wishes that the viewer would create new stories about the landscape for a new understanding of it. These blocks appeared like half-made human forms or sculptures or sculptures of humans that had been worn down and weathered over time.

Harlequin Four by Mark Handforth

This sculpture depicts a large number "4" with varying colours and lights. The artist uses the number a lot in his work, and this piece is constructed from metal in an ad-hoc manner.

Cosmos by Eva Rothschild

This sculpture is painted black on the outside but painted brighter gradient of colours on the inside. The structures support each other. The black appears like a gate with welcoming colours inside.

Murmurs of the Deep by Laura Arminda Kingsley

Microscopic organisms in an oceam setting inspired the artist to install these on the backs of the escalators at the Cheesegrator building.

Stone (Butch) by Rosanne Robertson

This sculpture focuses on the body or form of lesbian or transgender identities. It expresses a shifting and fluid piece and draws on nature.

Rough Neck Business by Mike Ballard

This cubesque sculpture is created from wooden hoardings that can be seen across London while construction work is taking place. The hoardings are from Dalston, Hackney Wick, and the Olympic Park, areas of London that have become more developed on in recent years.

The Garden of Floating Words by Elisa Artessero

These series of words form a poem coming out from the garden with words suspended on towers; at night, the words alone glow. The poem reads "you've gone touching leaves in the moonlight". This sculpture made its debut in 2019.

Metal Man - Deeper Together, Deep Travel Inc. NYC by Laure Prouvost

Sculptural and video elements come together to create this artwork and involve the viewer in a series of images and text on screens. The metal stick figures appear to bow to each other and instruct the user to take part.

Latent Space by Jake Elwes

This projected in Fen Court was meant to be on display throughout July, but it was not on when I visited it during the day. It is meant to encapulate a series of created photographs projected onto the ceiling of the building to show relationships using AI technology.

That wraps it up for this year's Sculpture in the City. Overall, I was disappointed with this year's Sculpture in the City as the pieces were not as good as in past years.

Previous years of London's Sculpture in the City (with exception to 2020 as it was cancelled) are included below:

• Sculpture in the City, 2020 (cancelled)
• Sculpture in the City, 2019
• Sculpture in the City, 2018
• Sculpture in the City, 2017
• Sculpture in the City 2016
• Sculpture in the City 2015
• Sculpture in the City 2014
• Sculpture in the City 2013

Broughton House is an 18th century home on the High Stret in Kirkcudbright in Scotland. The house is special because it was the home of Scottish impressionist artist E.A. Hornel (considered to be one of the "Glasgow Boys") from 1901 to 1933. created the Japanese-inspired gardens at the house. Currently, the house is maintained by the National Trust for Scotland to showcase the work of the artwork and some of his collection.

Hornel travelled to Japan in the 1890s and produced thirty paintings that were exhibited in Glasgow in 1895. He used the earnings from the exhibit to buy the house, and he lived there with his sister for over thirty years; his sister continued to live there until her death in 1950. Hornel often travelled to the far east and brought back items to use in his paintings. He also collected rare books, and his collection of Robert Burns books is the largest collection in any one place.

Hornel wished for his home to be turned into a gallery, so his home is set up as how it would have been in the 1920s/1930s with a gallery and exhibition space for a modern artist. The house was not fully open due to the pandemic when I visited. The first room to enter was the dining room. This room was turned into a library after Hornel lived in it. Some works by Hornel and other possessions of the artist are on display in the room.

The library is the room that was the least touched and looks more as Hornel left it. It contains many rare books, such as ones by Robert Burns. Hornel started to collect books in 1919, and around 15,000 are in the collection.

Another room on the ground floor contained a little exhibition of items from the 1920s that were staples in the house. There was a sewing room with information about how people would create and mend their own clothing. 

The shelf above contains a set of scales. It would have been bolted to the floor, so the mirror is used to read what it says without having to bend down. The circular object is a stoneware bed warmer that would leak if not tightened up properly. Other items in this cabinet are medicines and soaps.

The above shelf contains marmalade jars, chocolate tins, and tins of tea or cooking stock cubes.

The next room is the current gift shop and entrance hall. This was the traditional reception hall, and it contains some items that Hornel purchased from China (ceramics) and Sri Lanka (brass lighting). The antlers are from Hornel's hunting trips.

The gallery was constructed in 1910 as the primary exhibition space for Hornel's paintings. The paintings were painted from photographs. Hornel photographed many local children to get different poses, and he used these poses in his paintings. 

The room also contains plaster casts of the Parthenon friezes, and these are arranged around the room.

Down a set of stairs is an exhibition area by an artist inspired by Hornel's work, and behind this small exhibition is an exhibition of some of Hornel's unfinished work.

Further along are display cabinets with information about the artist's travels, including some of the items that he picked up along the way to use in his artwork.

Another room contains some dishes from China with a legend. The legend may have been created to sell the dishes. It was mass-produced to sell to the western market and is called "The Family Friend" about two lovers who elope.

The barrel-vaulted cellars at Broughton House were actually from another house that stood on the site of the present day Broughton House, so they are actually older than the house iteself.

The gardens at Broughton House include stone items that were collected at various places that Hornel visited. It was laid out as a Japanese garden and has views over the harbour at Kirkcudbright.

The resident cat, Tizzy, was very friendly and came over for cuddles and attention. She loved the attention and went around to everyone in the garden to seek attention.

I enjoyed my visit to Broughton House and Gardens, and it is a place to return to so that I can see the rest of the house once it is fully reopened.

A new sculpture trail has come to Southend-on-Sea in Essex this year. Across the city, there are over 30 large hare sculptures and 50 smaller hares, all painted differently by local artists for the community. The sculptures are in place for ten weeks from the beginning of July until the 12th of September, so you still have a little bit of time left to see them. My visit to Southend-on-Sea to visit the hare sculptures took place at the beginning of this month. 

"Patch" - Lisa Sheldon

The hares will be auctioned after the trail ends for local charity Havens Hospices, but before they are auctioned, they will also all be on display in one place for a final visit. 

Stella the Disco Hare" - Natalie Guy and "Sunrise" - Jane High and "Hare's Magic" - Peter Poole and "Some Hare Over the Rainbow" - David Maguire

"Jet the Hareplane" - Dinky Doors

Dinky Doors is an artist collective in Cambridge that have places miniature sculptures around Cambridge, and they have participated in the Cows About Cambridge sculpture trail that launched this spring. Read more about Dinky Doors. Read more about Cows About Cambridge.

"Wonderland" - Lois Cordelia

"Hoptimus Prime" - Mik Richardson

"View of Lepus" - Karen Cairns

"Hare of the Dog" - Allan Williams

"Jimmy Hare-drix" - Anne Marie Byre and "Hare Cule" - Mik Richardson

"Patch" - Lisa Sheldon

"Rocky" - Sally Chinea

"Queen Bee" - Beverley Fisher and "Rainforest" - Ruth Green and "Hop, Skip, Splash" - Lissie Art and "Harley" - Mik Richardson

"Funhare" - Graham Collins

"Rusty" - John Bulley

"RollaHare Coaster" - Jenny Leonard

"Harold Finehare" - Esme Taylor

"English Country Garden" - Lynne Campen and "The Rossi Hare" - Caron Brandajs

"Larry" - Andy Downes and Bronwyn Oldham

"Hare-y Biker" - Neil Fendell

"Mr. Meadow" - Luke Bryant

"Familihare" - Judith Berrill

Dan Kitchener's tallest mural to date is located on Southampton Row at NYX Hotel Holborn. The mural is over 125 feet tall, and it was painted in the spring of 2021 with a range of cold and wet weather that battered London. The work is titled "London Colours", and the different parts of the painting represent this area of London with its importance in the arts and sciences. This is around the corner from the British Museum and near independent art shops, the univeristy, hospital, and Charles Dickens museum.

The street scene represents the London street scene with the iconic buses and taxi along with people carrying umbrellas.

The top of the mural reveals illustrations in brightly-coloured bands - pink, blue, yellow, and turquoise.

This mural can be found on Southampton Row, and you really cannot miss it if you're walking by.

Twenty-seven lion sculptures painted by different artists, comedians, and musicians have appeared across West London and other parts of the world to raise charity for Tusk's conservation projects involving lions and other African species. Lions are under threat by humans taking their lands, and their numbers have decreased rapidly in the past 25 years. The Tusk Lion Trail launched in the middle of August, and the lions will be on display until the 24th of September. In total, there are 47 in total, but only 27 of these are located primarily in West London.

"London Pride" - Adam Dant and "Why Oh Why Oh Why" - Jake Chapman

Adam Dant is an artist known for his illustrations of detailed maps. The lion is inspired by the pubs that use the word "lion" in the title, and maps of popular "lion" pubs appears on the side. 

Jake Chapman is a visual artist who creates shocking work using different media with gruesome scenes around popular subjects from politics to fast food restaurants to oddities.

"Ripping / Cuddling" - Sara Shamma

Sara Shamming is a UK-based artist who uses themes of human emotions in her work, covering tricky subjects like war and human slavery.

"Protect Me" - Sally Wood with Jess Power

Sally Wood is an actress and producer who is on the board at the Roundhouse Theatre. She is married to Ronnie Wood of The Rolling Stones fame. Jess Power is an artist that worked with Sally Wood to create the artwork inspired by "The Lion King".

"English King" - Glen Baxter

The English garden and kings are celebrated with this green tropiary-style lion. Glen Baxter is an artist whose work is on display around the world.

"Big Blue" - John Illsley

Founding member of the band Dire Straits, John Illsley, has created "Big Blue", inspired by the nobility of the lion.

"Manebow" - Patrick Hughes and "Rose Lion" - Rob & Nick Carter

Patrick Hughes was born during World War II and is a soloist. The rainbow-maned lion is to add more rainbows to the world.

Rob and Nick Carter are an artistic husband and wife duo who create artwork using a lot of bright colour. Mediums include light, painting, film, and photography. During the lockdown, they became inspired by visits to Hyde Park to capture the roses.

"Limited Edition" - Mauro Perucchetti and "Untitled" - Michael Foreman

Italian painter Perucchetti was born in 1949, and his work is inspired by society and environment with the lion no longer being the king due to environmental concerns.

Michael Foreman is an author and illustrator born during World War II and has created over 250 books.

"Long Live That Lion" - Prof Gerry McGovern OBE

Creative Officer for Jaguar Land Rover Gerry McGovern created this lion. The colours represent the vivid African sunsets of their habitat, and the chrome represents the industry that is causing their numbers to decline.

"Brian the Lion" - Hannah Shergold

Hannah Shergold is a helicopter pilot for the army. Since leaving the army in 2018, she has produced artwork and raised money for charity successfully. The artwork asks the worth of the lion and inspires us to think about its whole ecosystem and place in the world.

"Kamuro" - Ian Davenport

Davenport's artwork is shown in many high-profile museums across the globe, and he has been nominated for a Turner Prize. This lion is created using the artist's "Splat" series.

"Nathan" - Helen Downie AKA Unskilled Worker

Fantasy elements are used with natural elements in Helen Downie's artwork.

"Not Lying Lion" - Ronnie Wood

Guitarist of the band The Rolling Stones and a song-writer, Ronnie Wood also has art training. The lion hopes to inform about the lions becoming endangered.

"A Hard Mane is Gonna Fall" - Noel Fielding

Actor, comedian and artist Noel Fielding created many character designs for "The Mighty Boosh" and collaborated with a menswear collection. 

"Signs of the Times" - David Mach

David Mach is known for large-scale artwork using different objects. Familiar symbols are used to describe the lion.

"The Return of the Urban Casual" - Ray Richardson

The artist Ray Richardson painted different artistic scenes on both sides of the lion. 

"Azami" - Dr. Haruhisa Handa

Japanese businessman and spiritual leader Handa has created the artwork titled "azami", which translates as "thistle".

"Pilgrim" - John Cleese and Jen Wade

Comedian John Cleese has created "Pilgrim" with his wife named Fish. The rainbow mane signifies hope and dreams, and the fish is a symbol that is a tribute to Cleese's wife.

"Wild Roots" - Nick Gentry

Consumer waste, pop culture, and found art are popular subjects of the artist. The artwork is inspired by the wild roots of the lion, which humans have in common.

"Blue Lion" - Gavin Turk

One of Turk's artistic styles is to make the sculptures look like giant toys. The lion sculpture appears to be made as a plastic toy animal.

"Golden Wonder" - Matthew Horne and "Suffering Saviour" - George Morton-Clark

Matthew Horne is an actor and writer for the BBC, and he is known for playing Gavin on "Gavin and Stacey", The Catherine Tate Show, Bad Education, and others. 

George Morton-Clark created the lion based on the "Looney Tunes" character Sylvester the cat. The cat's catchphrase is "Suffering succotash".

"Sirkon" - Paul Onditi

Kenyan artist Paul Onditi is an artist making an impact currently, and his work is inspired by human and nature contact with humans living close to national parks and living in close proximity to wildlife, such as lions.

Readers may recognise Alnwick Castle as one of the filming locations for the first couple of "Harry Potter" films; it was Hogwarts. Its popularity in the franchise has helped establish its visitor base to over 800,000 visitors a year and can be combined with The Alnwick Garden attraction next door. The castle was also used in other films, and it is a popular attraction in Northumberland. I went on a visit to it in the middle of July.

The earliest parts of the castle dated from the end of the 1000s. The area here was always in a state of conflict between the Scottish and English, and the castle was captured by a king of Scotland. The castle was eventually sold to the Percy family, now the Dukes of Northumberland. It is currently owned by that family, and they live at the castle today. It is the second largest inhabited castle with the first place going to Windsor. The castle is open to the public in the summer months.

The castle's towers contain sculptures; no doubt, this was a symbol of power and prestige.

Inside one of the buildings at the outer bailey, this horse-drawn carriage is on display.

The outer bailey contains views of the castle keep and archway leading to the inner bailey.

The towers around the inner and outer bailey host museums with one containing items from all over the ancient world. The other contains weaponry and items from the military force in the early 1800s. The inner bailey was used in the "Harry Potter" films as well, and "Downton Abbey" and "Transformers" were also shot here.

There is a small section of wall walk here in the inner bailey between a couple of the towers that house the museums. I found one of the museums especially fascintating with the ancient items collected from all over the world. A very small section can be seen in the photographs below.

Visitors to the castle can enjoy special talks. There was one about the history of the castle, one about the filming locations of the castle, and another about arms and armoury. For children and adults, there were bird of prey talks and demonstrations. There is also archery, but this was currently not open. Children could also enjoy photographs of themselves on green-screened broomsticks in front of the castle, broomstick training (where the famous scene was filmed in the "Harry Potter" movies) and "Dragon Quest", an interactive and immersive game. The birds or prey had attracted a large crowd during my visit. 

The castle keep is where the family lives today and where visitors can enjoy viewing the "state rooms" and collections of finery - paintings, precious items, and so on. Photography is not allowed inside the "state rooms", so I am unable to show the amazing rooms and items on display there. However, I did take a few photographs of the inner keep, which was also used in the first "Harry Potter" movie and other films.

The inner keep towers contain the emblems of other allies of the Dukes of Northumberland. The building was designed in the Italian style.

The parkland below the castle was laid out by Lancelot "Captability" Brown. It has been sculptured into a pleasure area with rolling hills, pasture, and a lake.

In the far corner of the outer bailey, the broomstick classes appear to be a big hit with the visitors.

The shop, cafe, and Dragon's Quest adventures are located near the entrance (or exit), tucked out of the way.

Visitors to the castle should spend at least four hours minimum at Alnwick Castle to see everything, but it is possible to spend nearly a day here to partake in the different options, especially if it is busy. The tours take nearly an hour each and are interesting if you wish to know the history of the castle and the filming locations. If visiting with children, I would spend at least five hours here.

One lovely and sunny morning in mid-July, I visited this beautiful moated manor house: Baddesley Clinton. Baddesley Clinton is located in Warwickshire, and it was passed down the same family (father to son) for twelve generations before being maintained by the National Trust so that future generations can appreciate it. The family were Catholics, and they were often short of money. I visited the property during the pandemic when the country was still locked down, and not all of the rooms were open to visit.

A house has existed on this location for over 800 years with the newest edition dating froma bout 1890 and the oldest part of the house being the kitchen. However, before we look at the interior of the house, I had a wander around the garden.

I saw one of the resident cats at Baddesley Clinton. There are two cats, and I saw the grey and white one named Tommy. He was more interested in being left to snooze than wanting any company, so I just left him to get on with his lazy morning.

The side of the house contains some beds and a sundial before getting into the walled garden and kitchen garden.

Baddesley Clinton used to be a place to see wonderful dahlia, and I planned to go to visit them in the next season, which would have been last year, but that did not happen for the obvious reasons. However, I am disappointed to say that since then, the dahlia have been replaced with squash due to the dahlia becoming diseased. Diseases in plants can and do happen, particularly if they have been left to feed on the same soil after many years. 

The grounds here with the bedding plants and before walking into the walled garden were pretty.

The walled garden had a glass house and an area for the kitchen garden with vegetables growing under netting to keep the birds and other animals out.

Continue past the gardens, and there is a lovely woodside and "pondside" walk around a large pond through the forest. There are a few benches to sit on to appreciate the surroundings. The squirrel was happily foraging away (or trying to dig up previous forages).

The trail went around the other side of the house, and it was not too far to walk but pleasant enough. I headed back to the restaurant/cafe, which is located in the stables, for a bite to eat. Okay, it was breakfast, but I had a cream tea - tea with scone, clotted cream, and jam.

I still managed to eat it and arrive to queue up for the house to open about fifteen minutes before opening time, but there was already a queue formed with about ten people in front of me. During my short walk around the grounds, Baddesley Clinton had become a bit busy. 

It is thought that the house contained a drawbridge over the moat at one time.

My first impressions are that it is an attractive house, a typical moated fortified medieval house. We entered at the right-hand side upon entering the internal courtyard, and this used to be the servant's area. This led off to a kitchen.

The original kitchen would have probably been a separate building in medieval times as a fire prevention method. The current kitchen was originally the servant's quarters and transformed into the kitchen in the mid-1700s. In the late-1500s, preist hunters came to the house to search (as Catholicism was not permitted), and nine men hid in the sewers underneath the house after climbing through the toilet. Five of the men were priests. The priest hunters were stalled by the offer of breakfast while servants hid the belongings of the men and turned mattresses over.

The above photograph is the entrance hall.

The Great Hall is an impressive room. The stone fireplace was actually moved from one of the rooms upstairs to its current location. King Philip III of France gave the family a tusk from a type of sea creature, and it hangs in the room. It was impossible to get some photographs without others in them as some people in front took a lot longer to look at some things.

Upstairs were two bedrooms before coming to the hallway upstairs where there is another priest hole. The floor boards are very crooked today.

Off the hallway is a chapel.

Another room upstairs is the Great Parlour, and it contains paintings. It is where the last owner painted until her death at 93. Some of the paintings are unfinished here, and these are on display.

A sign in the house explains the high thresholds. Thresholds were common in country houses in particular to hold the thresh down for insulaton. The thresh would blow into other rooms if not held by a board between rooms, and we still use the word today, although we do not place thresh (straw) on our floors.

The last room upstairs that we were able to visit was the library.

The whole house was not open during my visit due to the lockdown and social distancing rules, so I was only able to see a quick glimpse of it. 

However, it is a beautiful property with a beautiful garden and lovely areas to sit and enjoy the atmosphere. Of course, the sunshine makes everything look nicer.

I do hope to return to Baddesley Clinton and hope that the house is completely opened the next time that I do visit.

London-based street artist Fanakapan has been painting a lot of foil helium balloons across London with favourite walls being in Star Yard off Brick Lane and Hoxton Square. These walls frequently change with new murals, and silver helium balloons have been a favourite of the artist in recent years. Over the past few months, I have captured a few of these pieces: helium balloons with faces.

More artwork featuring Fanakapan can be discovered on my blog here:

Fanakapan Paints "Hah" Laughing Gas on Pedley Street
Halloween Street Art by Fanakapan
Fanakapan Street Art on Mornington Crescent and Star Yard
Fanakapan Paints PacMan Pizza on Brick Lane and Other Street Art
Fanakapan Star Yard MagnaDonuts Mural
"Follow the Leader" by Fanakapan
Peace for Manchester
Fanakapan Paints Shoreditch Clowns
Chrome Balloon Dog in Star Yard
Fanakapan Paints "Power Tools" on Village Underground Wall
Fanakapan Paints "Drunk Glass Elephants"
Fanakapan, Horror Crew, & Jerry Rugg
Louis Masai and Fanakapan: "Freedom?"
New Chrome Street Art Mask by Fanakapan
Balloon Animal Street Art
Cranio & Fanakapan
Fanakapan and Horror Crew
Camden Street Art Self-Guided Trail
Halloween Street Art (2018 and 2019)
Cranio Returns to London in 2020 and Paints Brick Lane

Canary Wharf has put on its first Summer Lights festival this summer in order to attract people back into the area (and probably to sell off the flats that have been constructed as many signs are dotted around the site advertising flats for sale). For the past few years, Canary Wharf have replaced their week-long ice-sculpting festival with "Winter Lights", a light festival that takes place in January to bring light and colour into our lives. (The last of these light festivals was renamed "Connected By Light", and you can read about it and see links to past years' displays here:  Canary Wharf 'Connected By Light'.

The artwork is designed to shine during the daylight hours and will look their best when the sun is shining. The festival was launched on the first day of summer and will continue until the 21st of August, so you still have time to head over to Canary Wharf to see the artwork. I had the perfect day to visit it with sun. In addition to the temporary exhibit, the map for the event contains a few permanent artwork pieces that fit the bill as a bonus.

Tear by Richard Hudson

This chrome tea-shaped sculpture is a permanent sculpture at Canary Wharf and located near the Jubilee Line. It is highly reflective, so it encourages photographs in front of it.

Be the Best You Can Be by Yinka Ilori

Not part of the Summer Lights festival officially, this is marked on the map as a permanent exhibition. The fencing around the park is painted in bright colours with brightly-coloured picnic benches. This appears to mark out an area for street food and play with ping pong and basketball.

Shine Your Colours by Tine Bech Studio

This sculpture is created with different panes of colour and encourages the viewer to interact with it and to see themselves in the world of the different colours. The sculpture encourages photographs with friends.

Ocean Rise by Aphra Shemza

This sculpture is meant to represent the rising ocean with the wooden frame and colours representing waves. The artwork is meant to be enjoyed with audio and is accompanied by a soundscape that you need to connect to on your mobile phone by sound artist Mowgli.

Whirl by Helena Doyle x Tom Cherry & Temple

The sculpture placed above the benches is projected into a colourful pattern on the ground below, and the wind allows the pattern and colours to change. It is inspired by using the power of the wind.

Proudly Together by Rebecca Strickson

The rainbows represent the London Thames, and the message of "positively, powerfully, passionately" is relayed amongst the "proud" text and rainbows. The stairs contain the colours of the different groups and represent a sense of pride of London. This was not officially on the list of artworks, perhaps as it is so close to the one of the named ones, but I have included it because another one of the pride artworks is on the list.

Summer Cloud We Dream of You by Tine Bech Studio

A cloud-shaped reflective chrome sculpture is placed above ping pong tables. The artwork reflects the world around, including the viewer, and it is a symbol of dream.

Circle of Light Spectrum by toyStudio

This circle of colours is located around the fountain and represents the visual spectrum of colours, which create a rainbow. The colours are mapped out from sunrise to sunset, and the intensity of colour is down to angle of the viewer or of the sun. Nothing is prettier than a rainbow, but this was a difficult one to photograph as some of the colours will always be obscured.

Hymn to the Big Wheel by Liz West

This is an immersive sculpture where the viewer can enter a room of coloured panels and become a part of the sculpture. The colours distort shapes and create additional colours depending on light and shadow. The different shapes and colours encourge the viewer to play around the sculpture to see and to create different colours. The sunlight also creates the colours in the reflections on the ground. 

Skystation by Peter Newman

This circular object appears as if it has come from another world and landed at Canary Wharf. This sculpture doubles as seating. It's a permanent sculpture at Canary Wharf.

Captivated by Colour by Camille Walala

Adams Plaza Bridge is the location of a striking mural that spans the length of the bridge from ceiling to the sides. It is an experiment of colour and pattern, and the light also adds another dimension to the work. It is not part of the Summer Lights officially as it is a permanent artwork.

Hidden Garden by Hugh Turvey

X-ray imaging is used to reveal the texture and "bones" of the structure of plants. The images are placed in the Crossrail Roof Garden to be enjoyed amongst the various plants. The images highlight the fragility of nature.

Sun Pavilion by Morag Myerscloth

This brightly-coloured seating area encourages visitors to have a seat or to pose for photographs. The pavilion is surrounded by colourful benches and nooks for visitors to enjoy chat, food, and drink.

Scribbleform by Julian Wild

This red "scribble" sculpture is located near Montgomery Square, and it is a permanent sculpture.

Kilpi by toyStudio

The traditional Nordic Sami huts are the inspiration for this wooden sculpture that represents shelter in a basic form. The perforations in the archway of the artwork represent the constellations over Canary Wharf. The light enters them and is cast in the shadow on the ground. 

Out of the Cocoon by Amberlights

The sculpture is in the shape of a butterfly and contains seating around it, encouraging visitors to come up close to sit on it to see how the colours change. The sculpture can also be enjoyed from afar to see how the colours change at the different angles. The artwork represents hope and new life that emerges from darkness.

Round and Round by Martin Richman

These circular dials are located at different hights and placed inside the pond at Jubilee Park. The dials' moving parts help to reflect and refract light, and the movement is created based on the wind direction. The dials reflect the colours around them.

Kaleidoscope Prisms by Fiona Grady

Designed as a kaleidoscope, the patterns dance across the atrium glass. This artwork was created for Pride at Canary Wharf and uses the colours of Pride. I did visit it on a sunny afternoon, but the colours were very faint as they were being obscured by the trees, so I probably did not see this one at its best.