Thames River burn of London 1666 skyline sculpture to mark 350th anniversary of the Great Fire

LONDON SEP. 8 —— LONDON’S BURNING festival closed on Sunday, as a 120-metre-long sculpture of 17th century London was set alight on the River Thames. The spectacular finale marked the end of a week of extraordinary arts events that transformed the London to mark the 350th anniversary of the Great Fire of London.

An audience of tens of thousands watched enthralled from the pedestrianised Victoria Embankment and the South Bank, as well as from Blackfriars and Waterloo Bridges which had been closed for the event. In addition, over one million people tuned into the live broadcast commissioned by The Space and hosted by Lauren Laverne, via social media platforms, and many more watched it streamed through external outlets across the world.​

LONDON 1666 was designed by American artist David Best, working in collaboration with Artichoke and involved months of learning and participation work with young people across several boroughs adjacent to the City of London. Hundreds of schoolchildren took part in integrated drawing and history workshops in schools across these boroughs. The project also offered young Londoners not in education, employment or training, a potentially life-changing opportunity to take part in the construction of the piece. All involved received an introduction to the construction and creative industries, and the opportunity to gain a CSCS certificate and further employment qualifications.

Helen Marriage, Director of Artichoke said: “50 years ago the 300th anniversary of the Great Fire of London was marked with a pageant. We wanted to do something completely different with an artistic approach that would mark the moment, create modern parallels, and bring the event to life for everyone.

"Each piece of the London's Burning programme added a different dimension and it was all free. People got to run through the City's streets and buildings in a wildly exuberant domino fall, and were reminded of the beauty and the horror of events centuries earlier with a beautifully-choreographed burn on the river for the finale."

Mark Boleat, the City of London Corporation's Policy Chairman, said: "City of London Corporation, the founding sponsors of LONDON’S BURNING, are delighted that Artichoke's spectacular programme of events was so successful. A fiery St. Paul's dome, giant toppling dominoes, and a 120-metre wooden sculpture engulfed in flames were among the art installations that captured people's imaginations and generated global media coverage. Not only did it commemorate the 350th anniversary of the Great Fire and celebrate how the City rose from the ashes, 'London's Burning' demonstrated that we take considerable pride in our huge investment in arts, culture and heritage."

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: "London is the greatest city in the world and the events of LONDON’S BURNING are an inspiring testament to the way in which the capital responded to a significant moment in our city’s history. London’s Burning has captured the imagination of thousands of Londoners and visitors from around the globe, showing that London is open to the world and bursting with creativity."