London’s Shard show branded 'anti-climax'
The light show to mark the external completion of the Shard last night has been widely criticised as an underwhelming flop
Billed as ‘taking over the London skyline’ with its 12 lasers and 30 searchlights, the ‘spectacle’ celebrating the inauguration of Renzo Piano’s 309m-high tower was branded a dismal, anti-climax by scores of Twitter and Facebook users.
One stated he ‘could’ve seen a better laser show if [he’d] smashed up a Sainsbury’s self-service check-out’ while another simply said it ‘was pants’.
Were you there? Do you agree? Watch the video and vote.
Previous story (AJ 03.07.2012)
Light show to celebrate London’s Shard completion
A light show will take over the London skyline on Thursday (5 July) to celebrate the external completion of the Shard.
The show will feature 12 lasers and 30 searchlights illuminating the 309m-high building, designed by Italian architect Renzo Piano.
According to the AJ’s sister magazine Lighting, the show will ‘connect’ the Shard to 15 other London landmarks including the Gherkin, London Eye and Tower Bridge through the use of coloured lasers.
Begining at 22.15, the spectacle will be coordinated with two pieces of classical music: Copland’s Fanfare for the Common Man and the Finale from Stravinsky’s Firebird Suite, which will be performed live by the London Philharmonic Orchestra.
As the music reaches its crescendo, the laser show will culminate in the illumination of the Shard itself, lit from all sides by searchlights.
The show will also be streamed live on the Shard’s website.
Light show rehearsal 3 July 2012
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Readers' comments (1)
JZA | 10-Jul-2012 12:14 pm
Standing on a very crowded Tower Bridge, the general consensus was “damp squib” – I was beside two antipodeans, who – of course – thought only Sydney know how do a proper show, and an architect from Zaha’s who was quietly unmoved.
For me, I enjoyed watching Tower Bridge go up and down, but was mostly unmoved by what seemed a fantastically unimaginative display of not very much.
In the end, I was pleased with the images I captured, but 30 second exposures still didn’t add up to huge excitement – see what you think at:
www.jzaphotography.co.uk/ShardLasers
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