Thank You London: Artwork by Peter Blake projected on iconic landmarks
Commissioned by the London Evening Standard earlier this year, Peter Blake created an artwork to thank Londoners for their resilience over the current pandemic, and for their donations to a charitable appeal organised by the paper. The work has now been projected across three of London’s iconic locations: the dome of St Paul's Cathedral, onto the National Gallery in Trafalgar Square and the Piccadilly Lights.
Quoted in the Evening Standard, Dr Gabriele Finaldi, the director of the National Gallery, said it was “delighted” to support the appeal and celebrate the way people had come together. Deputy mayor Justine Simons said the artwork — which also adorned the face of the gallery during the first lockdown — served as “a sign of strength and solidarity”.
Blake’s inspirational rainbow artwork, initially designed with the message 'London Stands Together', was put up in windows across the city when it was published in the paper in March 2020. Now, projected across London, this public display of thanks comes at a time of increasing restrictions across the city.
The artwork is featured on the front page of today's paper, to support the Evening Standard’s Food For London Now appeal through their charity partners the Felix Project and With Compassion, two vital organisations working to end food poverty in London. Blake did not take a fee for the commission, instead requesting a donation to the Graeae Theatre Company in East London.
