A recreation of the Great Fire of London will set the Thames ablaze on 4th September in a spectacular culmination of a series of events to commemorate 350 years since the blaze that ripped through the City of London, destroying homes, businesses and iconic structures such as St Pauls. The installation, London 1666, is part of London’s Burning, a festival of arts and ideas produced by Artichoke.
LONDON 1666 will see an extraordinary 120 metre long sculpture of Restoration London floated on the River Thames and set alight in a dramatic retelling of the story of the Great Fire. The vast representation of the 17th century London skyline has been designed by American artist David Best, working in collaboration with Artichoke, the creative events company that have previously staged large-scale arts events such as Lumiere London.
The multi-camera show will be broadcast live online at www.visitlondon.com/greatfire350 when the remarkable sculpture will be set on fire to commemorate the 350th year since the Great Fire. The show will be directed by Tim van Someren who created the London 2012 Olympic Opening Ceremony. The programme will be presented by Lauren Laverne, and produced by Artichoke, as the historic moment is recreated on the Thames and streamed online. The Space, which empowers artists and organisations through digital media, are funding the live stream and pre event content for London 1666.
The project has involved months of work with young people across several inner city boroughs: Camden, Hackney, Islington, Newham, Southwark and Tower Hamlets. Hundreds of schoolchildren have taken part in integrated drawing and history workshops in schools across these boroughs, and designed decorative panels to be included in the final piece.
If you’re able to get there in person, then it will take place between Blackfriar’s Bridge and Waterloo Bridge, but space is limited, so arrive early and don’t drink too much!
