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You never know what you’re going to get in London. You can live here for your entire life, walk through the same streets and get coffee from the same café, and there will still be things that surprise you every single day. For those who frequent Covent Garden, one such thing might be the host of smiling clouds which have just descended on the pavilion.
Sadly, the clouds are not our new benevolent overlords, nor have they come down from the sky to give us a bit of much needed sunshine. They are part of an art installation by LA artists Samuel Borkson & Arturo Sandoval III, and they’re here until October.
Each sculpture is four feet wide, and there are 40 of them in total scattered across the Covent Garden area. The artists wanted them to be a ‘portal into a happy place’, so hopefully you were filled with an unmistakable sense of tranquillity when you walked past them.
Their creators say they are an invite for ‘visitors from across the globe… to explore, spread kindness and feel compassion for people and the planet.’ You can tell they’re based in the US – few Londoners are ever so outwardly optimistic.
Even if it’s all a bit fluffy for you, we promise it’s for a good cause. Covent Garden has teamed up with Campaign Against Living Miserably, or CALM, a charity who support those suffering with depression and suicidal thoughts. There’s stations throughout the square where you can donate, learn about the charity, or buy items to help support their mission.
The clouds have taken up residence in the rafters as of yesterday (August 1) and you can see them for free right now. Go walk underneath the canopy of white, take a deep breath in, and try to find a moment of calm amongst the chaos that is central London in summertime.
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