This Saturday, Station House Opera, an internationally renowned performance company, will emulate the classic game of dominoes in the form of a giant kinetic sculpture. Thousands of breezeblocks will be lined up throughout the Square Mile and knocked over one by one. The blocks will snake through the Square Mile, following the route in which the fire spread back in 1666. It will travel along streets and even through buildings in order to best represent the path of the Great Fire.
Similar Dominoes installations have been all around the world, but Saturday’s re-enactment will be the furthest route yet. It will follow a 7km trail comprising of 26,000 breezeblocks, and will rely on the help of 600 volunteers to build the structure and make sure all goes to plan.
This is just one of the events that will mark the 350th anniversary of the Great Fire of London. ‘London’s Burning’ is a week long festival organised by Artichoke, the team behind the Lumiere Festival that blew London away earlier this year. There are plans for many more art installations and performances across the city, including an impressive Fire Garden in front of the Tate Modern and a 6 hour underwater performance. Aside from London’s Burning, there will also be other events to remember the conflagration of 1666, such as after hours visits to St Paul’s Cathedral and an exhibition at the Museum of London.
The blocks will be set up throughout the day but the first domino will be knocked at around 6.30pm. You can view the map here.
Feature image: Station House Opera
Also published on Medium.