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Dreams, Breaths & Blue Light

Somerset House’s luminous lady invites us to pause and imagine.

Sometimes London throws you a curveball. One minute you’re dodging black cabs and pigeons, the next you’re standing in a grand courtyard, gazing at a luminous, breathing blue lady stretched out as if caught between sleep and dream.

Hi there lovely readers,

The G and I had just walked A, our beloved host, to work. It’s 7am, a perfect time to bask in a hazy sun and breathe the last vestiges of crisp air before the masses emerge. ‘I have something to show you that’s totally wild!’ G whispered over our post good deed coffee. Lead on, said I. If it excites the big G it has to be intriguing!

The Spell or The Dream

Picture it: a giant glowing figure, her chest rising and falling as though fast asleep, while the fountains pause to let you tune into her slow rhythm. Add a haunting soundscape by Maxwell Sterling and suddenly the whole courtyard feels like it’s holding its breath.

This is The Spell or The Dream by Turner Prize-winning artist Tai Shani, and she’s taken up residence at Somerset House’s Fountain Court.


But it’s not just a sculpture — it’s a conversation. Around the installation is The Dream Radio, a 24/7 broadcast where artists, writers, and even musicians like Brian Eno share stories of dreams, catastrophes, and futures yet to be written. It’s strange and beautiful, like being invited into an intimate ecstasy party.

For me, it was the sense of that kind of intimacy that lingered. Here, in the middle of buzzing London, stood a glowing figure that made you stop, sit, and listen — to her, to the city, and maybe even to yourself. Art that reminds you to breathe? I’ll take it.

The Blue Lady
Screenshot

Now by now you’ll have identified I love a good fun fact. A little research and here they are:

Top 5 Fun Facts: The Blue Lady at Somerset House

1. She Breathes – The luminous blue figure doesn’t just lie there; her chest rises and falls with a slow, hypnotic breath. Standing beside her, I soon found myself matching her rhythm.

2. Soundtrack to a Dream – Composer Maxwell Sterling created an ambient soundscape that surrounds her, so it feels like you’ve stepped into someone else’s dream.

3. Dream Radio – Alongside the sculpture is a 24/7 broadcast featuring people sharing stories about hope, nightmares, and futures still to come. Could call it bedtime radio for big thinkers.

4. Pause for Effect – Twice a day (12 pm & 4 pm) the courtyard fountains switch off so visitors can fully experience the sculpture and sound without watery distractions.

5. Here for a Good Time, Not a Long Time – This giant glowing lady leaves London on the 14th September. If you’re here prior to then, don’t miss her. She’s more than a sculpture — she’s an invitation to dream in broad daylight.

Somerset House
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A Spot of Pomp and Ceremony

Securing the Tower of London…

Every night at exactly 9:53 pm, the gates of the Tower of London are locked in a ritual that’s been running for nearly 700 years — the Ceremony of the Keys.

Hi there lovely readers,

And, at exactly 7pm, we assembled in our refinery — dress shoes essential (the boys moaning after days in sneakers!) — and reverently followed our guide over the moat, past glowing fields of poppies, the raven’s luxurious home, and into the bowels of the Tower.

Led by the Chief Yeoman Warder (yes, one of the famous Beefeaters), we were regaled with the bloody yet fascinating history of the Tower: the warders’ homes, their duties, the lavishly feathered ravens, tales of ghosts and of discovery in 1674 of the remains of two young missing princes, thought to have been murdered by Richard the III, their heritage yet to be proven until current royalty agree to DNA testing (requests declined by the late Queen and now King Charles)


Over drinks at their mess, we learned that all Yeoman Warders are retired Warrant Officers (and above) from the Armed Forces. The big G and our buddy chuffed to hear this, given they too were former Warrant Officers and the three of us there thanks to the request of our London host, himself the Australian Attaché to the Navy. The Yeoman Warders are part historian, part storyteller, part tourist-wrangler — with a generous dash of humour — which makes them the perfect keepers of this nightly ritual.




And then… the Keys

At last, lantern in one hand and the King’s Keys in the other, our Yeoman Warder strode out with his Foot Guard escort to begin the rounds. The air was electric as we filed behind until we reached the Bloody Tower archway.

“Halt! Who comes there?”
“The Keys.”
“Whose Keys?”
“King Charles’s Keys!”

And with that, the gates were locked, the keys returned to the Kings House, and the Last Post echoed through the Tower. Ten minutes, a lifetime of tradition. No photos. Respect.

This ritual has been carried out without fail for centuries — interrupted just once, in 1940, when a bomb blast blew the Chief Warder clean off his feet. He picked himself up, dusted off, lantern still lit, and carried on. How’s that for the stiffest of stiff upper lips?


Top 5 Fun Facts about the Ceremony of the Keys

1. The Oldest Military Ritual in the World — It’s been performed nightly for over 700 years. Historically, crucial for protecting monarchs who resided in the Tower and preventing prisoners from escaping. While no longer a royal residence, it continues to safeguard valuable artefacts, including the Crown Jewels.

2. Boom! Carry On — Only once interrupted, in WWII, when a bomb threw the Warder off his feet. He finished anyway.

3. Military Precision — It always starts at exactly 9:53 pm. Not 9:52. Not 9:54.

4. No Latecomers — Miss your slot and that’s it — not even the King’s Keys will get you in.

5. Free, But Coveted — It costs nothing to attend, but you’ll need to apply well in advance.

After battling sunburnt crowds by day, the Tower by night felt ethereal — shadows whispering through the cobblestones, every step echoing with centuries of history.

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Britain’s Story – Face by Face

From Shakespeare to Bowie — and a modern twist by Jenny Saville

While the boys explore Soho and Chinatown in search of the perfect nosh, I go roaming for something equally enticing. Today’s pitstop – London’s National Portrait Gallery.

Hi there lovely readers,

Throw me into a jolly good bookshop or an art gallery and I’m in my happy place, one offering a mental journey via the mighty pen, the other a visual journey through an artist’s chosen medium. And what better way to blend the two than review London’s history via the Portrait Gallery? Top floor (early centuries) down (current), starting with the current guest artist…

First Stop: Jenny Saville – The Anatomy of Painting

I begin with an intriguing exhibition by Jenny Saville, one of Britain’s most celebrated contemporary painters. A collection of 45 works tracing her career and her ongoing conversation with art history. The show was created in close collaboration with the artist herself, and it feels like stepping into her evolving sketchbook of bold, raw humanity. Exciting, at times visceral, a must-see when you’re in London Town. Here’s just a small example…

The Gallery Itself – Britain’s Ultimate Family Album

From there, I wander into the main gallery — a place that tells the story of Britain not through dates or dusty timelines, but through faces. The National Portrait Gallery is all about the people: queens, rebels, poets, politicians, pop stars, and everyday heroes who’ve shaped the nation. Starting point? Yep, the top floor!

What makes it so brilliant?

I loved that the gallery is all about the who, not just the how. The art is important, but the real focus is on the person in the frame and their impact on British history and culture; from Tudor monarchs to pop culture creatives. Through paintings, drawings, photos, sculptures and digital media for every individual who has left a mark on Britain, chances are they’re here.
Having visited the Tower of London and explored its bloodied timeline, the Portrait Gallery humanised that history. Walk chronologically and you’ll see Britain’s story unfold through the eyes of Shakespeare, Churchill, Bowie, Malala — and so many more.
 It’s Britain told not through battles and dates, but through the people who lived, led, created, and inspired. Thoroughly recommend!

A few things I learnt along the way…

# Ada Lovelace (1815-1852), a mathematician and computer pioneer,  worked with the inventor Charles Babbage on plans for a device called the Analytic Engine. Her work led to her being described as the earliest computer programmer.

Ada Lovelace  – artist Margaret Carpenter (1836)
Mary Shelley – artist Richard Rothwell (1840)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

# Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin (1797 – 1851) married the poet Percy Bysshe Shelley, wrote Frankstein (The Modern Prometheus – written 1818, revised 1831), and other fine works, and after her husband’s death, penned a travel log of her travels throughout Europe with her late husband. Her mother, Mary Wollstonecraft (who died after giving birth to her daughter) was also an English writer as well as a philosopher and advocate of women’s right,  best known for A Vindication of the Rights of Woman (1792).

# David Beckham’s portrait is actually a video recording of him sleeping (and not a snore or dribble in sight!)

David Beckham (‘David’) by Sam Taylor-Johnson

 

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