Black Out: A Tower Bridge Experience

Tower Bridge

City of London commissioned Guildhall Live Events to create an immersive video and sound environment for the public based on the Blitz, to be sited in the bascule chamber underneath Tower Bridge. The creative team was provided with access to the City of London Police archives and the Arthur Cross and Fred Tibbs collection. These police officers were charged with photographing the aftermath of the damage inflicted by high explosive and incendiary bombs on the Square Mile.

This project built on a projection-mapping event GLE delivered the previous year. The general public were taken on an immersive journey down into the belly of tower bridge during the Blitz.

At different levels of the descent, the public encountered a range of artwork, from projection-mapping to sculptural installation and when they finally reached the bottom, they were taken into the enormous accumulation chambers where a 40-minute projection and audio show mapped to the walls of the chamber completed the journey.

As well as the projections, scenic makers and actors worked closely with our team to give an authentic experience, wearing costumes of the era. Sandbags and other props enhanced the environment.

Toby designed content for the descent into the main chamber. His artwork explored the theme of everyday life during wartime Britain. The installation was a mixture of a physical build, projection mapping and shadow art. Archival footage of the Homefront and Blitz was projected onto models of buildings to represent the hardship endured by London’s citizens. The prominent shadow of the London skyline signified the enduring spirit of the Londoners – ‘ You may break and destroy our buildings, but you will never break the London spirit’, the morale which got Britain through the Blitz.