23 November 2006 Written by Andrew Eglinton Print This Post  Email This Post

St Paul’s Cathedral, Christopher Wren’s masterpiece is without doubt one of London’s most iconic buildings. The southern side of this cultural/religious edifice has long been covered by a trempe l’oeil tarpauling while restoration work goes on ahead of its 300th year anniversary. The facade faces south and sits in silent dialogue with another of London’s cultural landmarks, the Tate Modern. Passing by the cathedral as part of my daily travel routine, this plastic exterior has become second nature now, as if it belonged to the building’s original design. In fact I’ve often wondered whether it was the work of Bulgarian artist Christo, famous for ‘veiling’ international iconic buildings such as the Reichstag in Berlin. Thus the trempe l’oeil exterior works as a hinge between avant garde and baroque.

There is a current trend in building transformation in London, whereby old designs are given new life with ‘masks’ of light. The National Theatre is one example here; its palette of bright fluorescent lights glows in the London night like an aurora borealis. Another example is the Brunswick Centre in Bloomsbury, a 1970’s design recently given a new lease of life with a coat of paint and three new towers of light. The St Paul’s case
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(Photograph: Andrew Eglinton)