Holland Park

Holland Park is the London’s Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea’s largest park at 22.5 hectares with one of the main attractions being the Japanese garden, Kyoto Garden. The park is open daily from 07:30 until 30 minutes before dusk.

The park, originally, was the grounds for Cope Castle, which was a Jacobean mansion hidden away in the woods. The mansion was built by Sir Walter Cope in the early 17th century, who was Chancellor of the Exchequer under King James I rule. It was renamed to Holland House after the Earl of Holland’s wife Lady Rich had acquired it through inheritance. Following World War II, the mansion was severely damaged leaving only one wing remaining, which is now used for open air theatre and classical concerts.

The Kyoto Garden was created by to celebrate the Japan festival as a joint venture between the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and the chamber of commerce of Kyoto. It was donated by the chamber of commerce of Kyoto and opened in 1991. It was refurbished in 2001 with garden specialists flown in from Japan to retransform the Garden. The Garden is done in a “tour garden” style, a traditional style of a Japanese garden, with everything carefully arranged to fit and shape in with the climate and locality to make it seem natural.

The garden is made up of different elements with different representations. The waterfall represents mountains and gorges with the water leading into the pond as a representation of the ocean. Around the pond runs paths and a stonebridge. The whole garden is a representation of the splendour and beauty of the landscape. Positioned at different points in the Garden, tōrō (stone lanterns), tsukubai (stone washbasin) and shishi-odoshi (bamboo alarm to scare off animals) are placed along the paths for the enjoyment for the sights of visitors.

 

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Southbank Centre's Festival of Love - Art Across the Site 2015

Southbank Centre lay host to their own Festival of Love with art, activities and workshops. With a series of installations as part of their “Art Across the Site”, it explores the different types of love that we may encounter from family and friends to complete strangers.

1. Love Flags – Mark Titchner

Flags that spell out “LOVE” are displayed on the rooftops of the Royal Festival Hall and the Queen Elizabeth Hall. They incorporate the spectrum of colours from the rainbow.

2. Reverie – Nike Savvas

Made from a combinartion of wood, wool and plastic, they form thousands of ribbons made from a spectrum of different colours that represents “ hundreds of different paintings being made around you”.

3. Arcadia – Gabriel Lester and Martine Vledder of the design studio PolyLester

The installation is made up from translucent plastic strips found in industrial settings. The installation is lit by sun during the day (that is IF there is sun) and lit by a beacon from within during the night. What Lester said of love is that is “a heart should be colourful, open and light to let in love”.
4. Dil Phaink – PeaceNiche

The installation’s name means “to throw your heart out to work”, explores the different side to Pakistani culture through street design, cinema, visuals and matters of the heart. The installation takes away from the negativity that the media presents their focus on and looks at the artistry and quirks of Pakistani life.

5. Film Kiosks – Lyn Atelier and Restoration Station

The television screen shows different forms of love ranging from ones between siblings to unexpected connections made between strangers. The kiosk was designed by Lyn Atelier and the furniture made by Restoration Station.

6. This is a Public Service Announcement – Sarah Crane

Projected on screens across the Southbank site, the installation explores the interactions between people in our day-to-day-lives. The installation prompts people to “look up” as a way of looking at the positive connection made between strangers.

7. Love Story – Richard Woods

The colourful timber-encased pillars draw attention to the hidden venue of the Southbank Centre.

8. Love the Yarn – Lasmin Salmon in collaboration with Celia Pym and ActionSpace

Lasmin Salmon worked collaboratively with Celia Pym to gradually grow this piece of installation made with balls of yarn.

9. Ludus Folly – Simon and Tom Baker

The installation plays on the playful and flirtatious form of love, which is made up of a mirrored wall, maze and tower in all style of colours. It is based on the two chemicals (Serotonin and Dopamine) which are produced by the brain when we play and are in love.

10. Provocation – Mark Titchner

Plastered above one of the entrances to the Queen Elizabeth Hall is the Provocation.

11. Pulse and Bloom – Shilo Shiv Suleman

The installations are of Lotuses which a symbolism of beauty, prosperity and fertility. Each lotus is built with two hand sensors that transmits a heartbeat of LED lights up the stem to the lotus flower. Beats faster if two hands are placed on the adjoining flower of the individual lotus.

12. Squeeze – Linda Bell in collaboration with Sam Haynes and ActionSpace

Bell used different techniques to create and form different shapes to explore the tactile versatility of different materials. Bell and Haynes were asked to create a site-specific series of sculptures.

13. Vespers – Jones Bulley

A sound installation made from a musical score of thoughts, text and sound, celebrates the combined creativity that stems from the web. Bulley describes it as “a real-life moment ofg togetherness that reflects the digital togetherness provided by the web.

#SouthbankforLove