The Shard has been illuminated this evening with a captivating spire light display created through a new partnership with the London School of Mosaic (LSoM).
From this evening, the top 20 storeys of the iconic London landmark will light up the skies every night from 17:00 until New Year’s Eve. Visible from over 40 miles away, Londoners and visitors alike can enjoy a glimpse of colour and festive spirit as they travel around the city.
The dynamic display will feature three specially inspired mosaic designs:
“The Shard Snowman” – A larger than life snowman – an iconic festive symbol – will appear with a striking red scarf and hat to add a pop of colour before melting away.
“Festive Candle” – A softly illuminated candle, set against a bright blue backdrop, will radiate festive charm.
“Festive Pattern” – a bold green and gold pattern inspired by a Christmas Brooch created by Pop Art pioneering Scottish artist Eduardo Paolozzi, who was behind the eye-catching mosaics Londoners will be familiar with at Tottenham Court Road station.
The LSoM, renowned for its mosaic artistry, has partnered with The Shard to create this years’ display. The collaboration, borne out of a shared commitment to artistic endeavours within the heart of London, marks a significant milestone which marries London’s art scene with a prominent landmark in the capital during the Christmas period.
The Shard’s distinctive spire provided the canvas for the LSoM designers, where each window in the spire represented a tile of the mosaic design.
The concepts started as hand drawings, before being turned into physical mosaics by the artisans working with tiles, during a festive workshop at the LSoM art school in London’s Belsize Park. These mosaic boards were then transformed with the help of world-renowned lighting designers, Woodroffe Bassett Design, into unique lighting sequences that will appear on the Shard’s spire.
The festive lights collaboration is part of The Shard’s broader partnership with the LSoM through which it has sponsored a panel of the 57-metre new mural being installed on the piazza outside the building. The mural, entitled “A Thousand Streams”, reflects the kaleidoscope of life that spills from London Bridge station into the capital.
Silvie Jacobi, Co-founder of LSoM. commented: ”We’re humbled and very excited to be helping create what must be the highest public art in London, with three very different festive designs which underline the different aesthetic qualities of mosaic from patterns.
“This year’s Shard Lights mosaic theme bridges the gap between the lighting project and the artist who inspired the London Bridge mosaic, while also positioning The Shard’s spire as a distinct piece of public art.”
Stephen Norman Young, one of the artists who helped create the mosaic inspired designs said: “This will be one of the highest Christmas decorations in Western Europe and one of the most iconic buildings in London. I’m really proud of being part of this partnership that has been formed between the LSoM, The Shard, the community and myself. Just like a mosaic, all these different pieces are coming together to make something grand and beautiful for everyone to look at.”
