Pop along: the bubbles were installed at the start of the week
(Picture: Atelier Sisu)An artwork entitled Evanescent has landed in London hoping to add a little sparkle into Londoners’ lives.
The public installation, which arrived yesterday, consists of a cluster of gigantic bubbles that together tower to more than seven metres in height. They are free to visit.
The work, from Atelier Sisu, has been placed beside the west entrance of the Leadenhall Building, colloquially known as the Cheesegrater, on Leadenhall Street in the City of London. The installation will be open to visitors every day between noon and 10 pm.
Unlike the tiny bubbles most are familiar with, which are made with soap and water, these have been constructed with a colour-reflecting dichroic film.
The film is why the art looks so bubble-like in the light. It is a filter that selectively passes the light of certain colours while reflecting others, thus creating an iridescent appearance.
The sculpture’s name, Evanescent, means impermanent, significant given the temporary nature of the display; the piece will remain by the Cheesegrater until February 10.
This isn’t the first time the Sydney-based design studio Atelier Sisu has wowed art lovers with its bubbles. The award-winning duo, Renzo B. Larriviere and Zara Pasfield, displayed their creations across Sydney and Melbourne in the past, too.
The artists explain their work as the creation of “experiential environments, installations and sculptures”, and describe their field as “art-chitecture”, a hybrid of art and architecture.
Talking about Evanescent, they shared: “The artwork was inspired during the Covid-19 pandemic, when the world stopped and everything we took for granted started to disappear.
“We wanted to communicate this feeling of transient beauty, and the need to live in the moment through the idea of the bubble. ‘Art-chitecture’ as well call it, connects audiences with their environment and is designed to be truly inclusive.
“By emulating the ethereal quality and magic of bubbles, Evanescent appeals to our childlike wonder and universal playfulness – something we all need at this time of year”.
Larriviere and Pasfield’s work has earned them a number of awards including the 2023 Australian Enterprise Awards and the 2020 INDEF Design Award.
