Immerse yourself in these sweet Covent Garden neons!
During the long dark of the winter lockdown, one could spot a glimmer of light at Tate Britain, where artist Chila Burman festooned the exterior of the art gallery with colourful neon lights, in a celebration of Diwali. It was a welcome mercy during a pretty tough time, and proved so popular with passers-by that it was extended by a month. Now, Burman has brought her colourful gifts to another famous canvas: Covent Garden, where the neons are now shining brightly.
Burman has filled the South Hall of Covent Garden’s central Market Building with dazzling neon sculptures, a dizzying array of brightly-lit art that we already think should be a permanent addition to the space.
If you happened to catch the Tate Britain display, you’ll known that Burman’s work trends towards the whimsical, with neon tigers and ice cream vans featuring there – and things are equally fun at the Covent Garden display. For instance, check out this incredible illuminated tiger, here face-to-face with its creator:
Central to the Covent Garden neons are the words “do you see words in rainbows?”, which is a question I reckon you’ll swiftly be able to answer on a visit here. Other illuminated phrases include the words “love”, “fruity”, “light”, and “deluxe”, whilst neon peacocks, flamingos, and hearts also adorn the historic market.
The Covent Garden neons will be in place until the end of October, but don’t fret about a dark winter without them; one suspects the piazza’s famous Christmas lights will be strung up soon after Burman’s works have departed.
To wander through an immersive installation of neon lights will be quite the experience, and it’s not even the first one we’ve have seen in London this year, given that God’s Own Junkyard took over Leadenhall Market for a few glorious weeks this summer. And let’s be honest, neon-filled historic markets are a trend we’d all love to see a lot more of!