Photo Album: When Covent Garden Turned into a Massive Neon Wonderland

As if the Covent Garden buzz wasn’t magical enough, the iconic market building is also famous for some of London’s most creative pop-up transformations. The most recent one, “Do You See Words In Rainbows?,” was designed by British artist Chila Burman.

Launched on 26th August, the new immersive large-scale art installation turned the legendary South Hall piazza into a giant breath-taking neon paradise, inaugurating a much-needed mix of optimism and dazzling lights as the nights start drawing in.

"Carnival of Feminists", "Punjabi Rocker", and "Valiant Queens Rule" are just a few of the welcoming messages scribbled in eye-catching neon lights, conveying an incredibly uplifting mood. Everything - from the elevating words, the technicolour collages, to the led sculptures of dragons and peacocks or the colour-rich floating neon octagon suspended from the heart of the Hall to support a dangling centrepiece of multicoloured neon hearts – everything vividly captures our attention.

A bright spectacle, fantastically brought to life by the richness of Burman’s signature kaleidoscopic colours and sublimely inspired by her bold vision and her Hindu Punjabi heritage.

The visual overload doesn’t just support female empowerment and inclusion but most importantly reaffirms Chila Burman’s pivotal role as one of the first South Asian women to create political art in the UK as well as her contribution to the Black British art movement during the 1980s.

As she described for the Art Newspaper: “I use adornment, but with a message.” A glorious and memorable neon extravaganza meant to keep us entertained and daydreaming on repeat, at least until the sparkling Christmas decorations take over.

*All photos were taken by Ina/WithinLondon, unless stated otherwise :)

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