Summer is coming to an end and the sun is setting earlier and earlier, but worry not: a new sculpture will light up London’s evenings on the South Bank.
Named ‘Beacon’, the structure will be placed at the entrance of the Royal Festival Hall and it’ll light up when Big Ben strikes the hour. It’ll be visible from both sides of the Thames and perform in choreographed waves of light.
The installation is by British designer Lee Broom and it is part of the London Design Festival (LDF). This year’s edition of LDF will run from September 13-22.
The piece is inspired by the 1951 Festival of Britain, an event which was described as ‘a beacon of change’ as it came to symbolise a sense of hope and optimism while the nation was still recovering from the economic and psychological effects of World War II.
Broom’s structure is made up of repurposed individual light fixtures to form a clustered collection of black lamps made from discarded glass fragments. The sculpture’s repetitive, geometric design acts as a nod to the brutalist style of the surrounding South Bank and the modernist architecture of the Royal Festival Hall.
In layman’s terms, the piece looks a bit like an upside-down chandelier. But ‘Beacon’ isn’t just brutalist-inspired: it’s also an ode to the dolphin street lamps that line the South Bank designed by architect George John Villany in the 1870s.
When Big Ben chimes from across the Thames, ‘Beacon’ will light up and slowly start to pulse, kicking off a luminescent routine crescendoing into a hypnotic light show.
Broom is one the UK’s leading luxury light designers, and his lighting designs range from £285 for a handblown glass side lamp to a £2,290 golden geometric chandelier. Thankfully, you can be mesmerised by Beacon’s light display for free during the LDF.
‘I’ve always been hugely inspired by London and its architecture,’ said Bloom. ‘The Southbank Centre has long been a place of creative resonance for me.’
Continuing his commitment to eco-friendly designs, each light able to be reused once the ‘Beacon’ is disassembled.
After the 2025 LDF, Beacon will remain in place for the Southbank Centre’s Winter Festival from October 2025 to February 2026.
While you wait for the ‘Beacon’ to grace the South Bank, here’s a list of things you can do in the area.
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