London is always a good idea (especially when it’s free)

There’s nothing nicer than wandering around London, soaking in the sights and sounds of one of the most wonderful cities in the world, and circumstances have meant that I’ve been there twice in the past two weeks. Now, we all know that London is pretty expensive and so my wandering has been all the more enjoyable as I’ve managed to go see so much for free. This week it’s been all about the art, and for those of you who were wanting to read more about roast dinners or trips abroad, apologies, but please do carry on reading because this free art really was ace…

Evanescent

Wandering down Cornhill you get to take in the incredible juxtaposition of architecture old and new. The Royal Exchange nestling in with Lloyds of London. I was heading to the Leadenhall Building where there was a free outdoor, larger-than-life bubble artwork. The promo said, ‘shake off the January blues and awaken your inner child’, and it did just that! A series of giant iridescent balls, dressed with light and sound was other worldly. Whilst it wasn’t that big, and didn’t take long to wander around, it was the perfect spot for a selfie and simply made me smile. Installed by EC Bid as part of their ‘Recharge’ campaign, designed to support the mental health and wellbeing of workers and visitors to the east of the City, the giant bubbles are also about driving footfall to local businesses. By the time you read this, the installation might well be down (on until 10 Feb 2023), but bubbles or no bubbles, it’s a fascinating part of London to go and visit.

Yayoi Kusama

Shame on me, but I’d never heard of Yayoi until my eldest daughter studied her for art GCSE. It’s one of those crazy things though because now I know about her work, I’ve seen it everywhere! As I strolled down Cornhill, the Louis Vuitton shop was covered in dots and that was just the inspiration I needed to head on over to Harrods and see the full installation. And what a joy that was!

Outside door number five, there is a 15m tall creation of Yayoi Kusama painting her trademark colourful dots onto the magnificent Harrods façade. It is truly epic. And not only that, but the detail inside the shop too is staggering. There’s colourful dots everywhere – in the hallways, on the stair wells, on the lifts. It begs the question of how on earth all of it will be peeled away when it’s time for the installation to move on. Whilst I know that art isn’t everyone’s thing, you can’t help but be impressed by the sheer scale (and budget, no doubt) behind this piece.

For anyone who has a spare few quid to spare, there’s also a payable exhibition currently on at Tate Modern of Yayoi’s Kasumi’s work.

Battersea Light Festival

The recent redevelopment of the old Power Station and the surrounding area is an amazing backdrop to the Battersea Light Festival, which is now in its third year. I arrived at dusk to see eight different installations across the site and I wasn’t disappointed. Dusk is a perfect time as the light show comes to life, warmly welcoming and guiding you around the site. My particular favourite piece was the giant moon sitting high above the entrance to the power station, called Moonburn. But I could have been easily convinced that the giant slinky was the best one too!

The redevelopment is vast and it feels like this is a great new, revitalized area of London. There’s loads of shops inside and surrounding the Power Station, and the best M&S food I’ve ever been to! The Light festival on until 5th March, but a bit like the bubbles, if you miss the art, it’s still more than worth a visit.

Outernet

The best treat of the day was right at the end, so unplanned, so unexpected, so very cool. Outernet is right next to Tottenham Court Road underground station and as I headed to go home, something caught my eye. A fully immersive moving display, a kaleidoscope of colour and sound, with Hollywood film on display. ‘Heaven’s Gate’ by Marco Brambilla is an incredibly creative depiction of the silver screen. You could stand for hours trying to spot all of the different films and characters that are shown. Truly fascinating. Next door there’s a similar type of display, but very different in content. With scenes from the natural world, this immersive experience makes you feel like you’re surrounded by nature. Pretty impressive stuff when you’re in the heart of one of the busiest cities in the world. On until 12 March 2023, I honestly can’t recommend this enough.

As my time in London drew to a close, I was reminded how remarkable the city actually is. It’s all there for the taking if you want it, and so much of it is available for free. Well, probably the price of a travel day pass, but that’s pretty much it.

Whilst the installations that I was lucky enough to see might be gone by the time you go, there’s always a ton of free stuff to see and do. London is always a good idea so do make sure you check out 101 free things to do in London before you go!