This week the City is taken over by London’s Burning, a festival designed by creative company Artichoke to commemorate the 350th anniversary of the Great Fire of London. Happily the bakeries of Pudding Lane won’t be torched this time round; rather a series of spectacular events will offer a safer, but equally memorable, celebration of the Square Mile. A number of talks and performances will be taking place over this coming week. Here are five events you don’t want to miss.
Of All The People In All The World
From the handful of recorded deaths to the tens of thousands made homeless in 1666, this installation by Stan’s Cafe will count the cost of the Fire in grains of rice, comparing historical facts with contemporary moments. Located in the Inner Temple, it offers a simple yet compelling way to experience the impact of these dramatic events. Inner Temple, 30 August - 4 September.
Holoscenes
A mesmerising 6-hour underwater performance installation by American company Early Morning Opera. Featuring individual performers going about mundane daily tasks as water levels rise around them, the piece embodies the trauma of flooding and climate change – a contemporary threat in a contemporary city and one we ignore at our peril. Broadgate, 1-4 September.
Dominoes
An extraordinary kinetic sculpture by Station House Opera. First commissioned in 2009, Dominoes has travelled worldwide. This new version, specially created for London’s Burning by artistic director Julian Maynard Smith, will be its most ambitious yet. Involving 600 volunteers, 26,000 breeze blocks and a 7km run through the city, the sculpture shall trace the path of the fire through streets, buildings and public spaces, linking the past with the present symbolically and physically. City of London, 3 September.
Fire Food Market
It's a London event so naturally a food market will be present. Over the first weekend of September, Real Food Festivals will present a nightly food market at Guildhall Yard. Featuring food cooked over open-flame grills and wood-fired ovens, accompanied by fire-themed entertainments. Guildhall Yard, 1-4 September.
London, 1666
The spectacular finale will see an extraordinary 120m sculpture of Restoration London floated onto 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. We advise you to bring a camera for this one. River Thames, 4 September
London's Burning is held throughout the City from 30 August to 4 September. For more information see visitlondon.com
