Great Fire of London anniversary to be commemorated with big fire in London
Installation explores 'our relationship to catastrophe and crisis and our ability to adapt'
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A model replica of London is set to be burned to commemorate the 350th anniversary of the Great Fire of London.
The “live burn” will be the final event in London’s Burning Festival, and will take place on 4 September.
In 1666, an uncontrollable fire swept across the capital for four days, destroying 13,200 homes and leaving 65,000 people homeless. Despite the scale of the fire, only six deaths were verified.
London’s Burning has organised a number of events to commemorate the Great Fire, including talks, performances and exhibitions.
The festival will culminate in the “live burn” of a 120-metre-long model of the London as it appeared in 1666.
The wooden construction is situated on the Thames and “will be set alight in a dramatic retelling of the story of the Great Fire”, according to London’s Burning.
Artichoke, which is organising the event, previously coordinated the Lumiere London festival across the capital.
“London’s Burning brings a unique contemporary perspective to the Great Fire, exploring the challenges and issues faced by major world cities today, our relationship to catastrophe and crisis and our ability to adapt, adjust and rebuild,” Helen Marriage, Director of Artichoke, told The Independent.
The model was designed by American sculptor David Best, who is renowned for building the wooden constructions set alight in Burning Man festivals.
The construction will also contain panels designed by schoolchildren across London.
The “live burn” will be broadcast live online and will be presented by Lauren Laverne.
Other plans for the festival include projecting images of fire onto St Paul’s Cathedral and The National Theatre, as well as coordinating a giant line of toppling dominoes.
Ms Marriage emphasised the festival is “an artistic response that addresses the impact of the Great Fire of London on the City, its inhabitants and buildings, and how it emerged from the ashes and evolved to the resilient world city it is today.”
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