Award-winning cultural initiative Art Of London has today installed a new artwork celebrating the sustainability of the City of Westminster at The Londoner hotel in Leicester Square, made by renowned 3D artist, Faith Bebbington. It’s the latest art to form part of the public art commission, ‘Brighter Future’, developed with the National Gallery X (NGX) and other prestigious arts institutions.
Faith Bebbington, who has extensive experience of creating 3D installations incorporating recycled waste plastics and illuminations, has entitled her artwork ‘Tree Goddess’, which has been created from waste aluminium cans sourced across the City of Westminster, to form a stunning sculpture mimicking an ecological goddess.
Standing at 3-metres tall, ‘Tree Goddess’ incorporates recycled cardboard, plastic and aluminium waste collected across the City and during West End Live in a beautiful statement on the power of recycling. Art Of London commissioned the artwork alongside Veolia UK, which seeks to provide and enable ecological transformations through its role as a UK leader in resource management.
Faith Bebbington, artist and designer of ‘Tree Goddess’, says: “I’m delighted to join Art of London’s public art trail, Brighter Future, in partnership with Veolia. It’s incredible to be able to showcase my new sculpture in the heart of the West End and I’m excited to see how visitors react to it. I think green spaces are important for our wellbeing so when I’m in a busy city I always seek out open spaces like leafy Leicester Square. It’s the perfect place to relax and recharge and explore the new artwork.”
Mark Williams, Director of Art of London, said: “Since launching in August, ‘Brighter Future’ is proving to be a great success; the artwork and installations so far have brought colour and joy back to the iconic West End. We intended for this exhibition to be a statement for how the City can embrace a ‘Brighter Future’, and Faith Bebbington’s piece is a shining example of how resources can be transformed. It’s been wonderful to work with Veolia on bringing this project to life and we hope it encourages passers-by to see the possibilities in sustainability for the area.”
Helder Branco, General Manager, Veolia Westminster, said: “We are very proud to have commissioned the Tree Goddess and to be working once again with the fantastic artist, Faith Bebbington and Art of London. Faith’s use of recycled materials represents exactly what we are trying to achieve as Veolia, and creating the circular story through the aluminium cans collected from Westminster events shows that we can do more with waste, and that we can create a positive impact. We hope to convey our pursuit of ecological transformation in a positive light, and depict to visitors that we can make a difference to our future.”
‘Tree Goddess’ will be exhibited in front of The Londoner Hotel on Leicester Square. Opened in September 2021, The Londoner is deeply committed to sustainability and art, showcasing a permanent art collection in every space of the hotel, including bedrooms, bathrooms, event spaces, restaurants and public spaces. The building itself is a public art statement, adorned with blue faience tiles designed by Ian Munroe. Upon opening, The Londoner was awarded an ‘Excellent’ rating by BREEAM (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method) owing to its sustainability credentials, with many other technologies and initiatives in place to reduce their carbon footprint.
Charles Oak, Hotel Director of The Londoner, said: “It is an honour to be exhibiting Faith Bebbington’s spectacular ‘Tree Goddess’ as part of the ‘Brighter Future’ public art commission. This initiative is close to our hearts as it brings together the themes of art and sustainability, two subjects we at The Londoner are incredibly passionate about and committed to support.”
Brighter Future kicked off the start of Art of London’s Summer Season 2022; a series of major public-realm art commissions and partnerships with the UK’s leading cultural institutions, such as National Gallery X, FujiFilm and now Veolia. Across the West End, visitors will find free art in areas such as Leicester Square and St James’s Market. Londoners and tourists alike can make a day of it in the West End by using Art of London’s handy guides, which include food, art and culture stops to suit any type of trip, from family days out or the perfect cultural experience for aficionados.
‘Tree Goddess’ by Faith Bebbington will be on display until XX at The Londoner hotel, Leicester Square, as part of ‘Brighter Future’, a new public art commission by Art of London developed with the National Gallery X, running until October 2022. www.artoflondon.co.uk/brighterfuture.
