Installation Art in Bishops Square, Spitalfields

I have a confession to make and I trust that this will stay between us.

The first time I was invited to meet up with friends in Spitalfields, I looked the area up on Google Maps and thought it looked a bit too scary for me to be travelling to alone on a cold, dark January evening.  It seems incredible to me now, of course, because in the space of nine short months, Spitalfields has become one of my favourite parts of London.  And I had absolutely nothing to worry about in terms of safety and security.

Spitalfields is located near Brick Lane and Liverpool Street in London's East End. It is an area that is steeped in history and is home to the Old Spitalfields Market that was founded in the 17th century. Today, Spitalfields is an increasingly trendy, up and coming area and I just love the installation art in the area.

 I Goat by Kenny Hunter

Kenny Hunter's I Goat is the newest piece of art in the area and was installed in January 2011. The public voted for Kenny’s design in a sculpture design competition which began in early 2010.  Kenny states that I Goat represents “how each successive group of immigrants have faced their own combination of conflict, oppression and poverty”.  I am quite fond of this little goat!

 Red Church by Eleonora Aguiari

Eleonora Aguiari's Red Church is a likeness of Hawksmoor’s Christ Church in Spitalfields, which you can see in the background behind the I Goat above.  Eleonora used red to represent a dialogue between purity and passion although she does tend to use red in many of her sculptures!

 Spitalfields Spirit by Paul Cox

I know that we are meant to refer to the sculpture above as Spitalfields Spirit but really, everybody knows that they are the Spitalfields bunnies!  I think these little things are adorable and they are meant to represent the spirit of community and diversity of the area.

A Pear and a Fig by Ali Grant

I quite liked Ali Grant’s A Pear and a Fig but soon discovered that it is not easy to photograph bronze in the correct light!  The sculpture is a reminder of the days when Spitalfields was a bustling food market.

One thing is for sure, London is constantly changing and that is especially true for areas like Spitalfields.  I see on the Spitalfields "About Art" page that more sculptures have gone up since my visit.  That’s okay, I was looking for an excuse to return to the area anyway!