A kaleidoscope of breathtaking magic
As we reached the railings around the churchyard of the iconic St Martin’s in the Fields, the steeple clock boomed out six bells. We were on time, wrote Michael Holland and Charlotte Lang.
Swirling lights of colour covered the walls of the church and surrounding buildings. The Vestry looked as if it was going to take off for the heavens, while us earthbound humans were thrown into dark silhouette as we slowly trundled down into the crypt where the vaulted innards of the undercroft were shimmering with projected illumination. This was Space, the latest creation by Luxmuralis, and already we were mesmerised.
Accompanied by the younger members of Team Gray – Frida and Woody – I tried to experience it through their bedazzled eyes. This was more than glitter ball glitz, this was art – and it came with a soundtrack to match.
There was little noise other than the soft sound of footstep emanating from the people down in that catacomb. The surrounding luminosity had stunned us into silence. Together the visual and audio worked in a way that hypnotised.
After a while, someone quietly gestured for us to head upstairs to join the procession past Apollo 11 lifting off from Cape Canaveral and Neil Armstrong making a giant leap for mankind, then into the main church, and that is where the show really reached for the stars.
Taking our seats halfway along the aisle, we were immersed in sound and vision. The great columns were awash with spirals of colour, the ceilings glowed, a crucifix stood redundant at the altar while the real miracle of science created a kaleidoscope of breathtaking magic to wash over us all.
And then it ended. For a few seconds, that seemed to last an age, no one knew what to do. They looked at each other, eyes asking for an answer to what they had just witnessed. At then the spell was broken by a tannoy voice asking us to exit by the front door. It was then that people spoke again, excitedly but still with faces full of wonder.
‘That was quite meditative,’ said Charlotte, still in a trance.
‘I want more,’ added Woody.
‘Breathtaking,’ was Frida’s account.
We stepped out into Trafalgar Square, into a different kind of illumination, the kind that lit up the capital and makes London the greatest city in the world, but not really knowing what to do next as we tried to pull ourselves back to reality.
Woody was the first to arrive back on Planet Earth: ‘Let’s have burgers,’ he suggested.
St Martin-In-The-Fields, Trafalgar Square, London WC2N 4JJ until 21st February.
Booking and full details: https://www.stmartin-in-the-fields.org/calendar/space-by-luxmuralis/
