On the 28th November 2016, the five-star luxury lifestyle hotel, The Andaz London Liverpool Street, unveiled its beautiful festive installation: A Very East London Christmas, a celebration of the charm and history of the neighbourhood in which the hotel is based.
Designed by local creative agency, Manifesto Studios, and on display until the end of January 2017, the installation recreates the legendary Bow Bells of London in floating neon Perspex. One of the capital’s most famous icons, it is said that you are only a true East End Cockney if you are born within the sound of the Bow Bells!
Seven bells will be suspended across the hotel lobby, the Lounge. Each one embodies an element of the East End personality and etched with drawings of the history and the icons that have shaped the area’s identity so guests can truly experience East London from inside the hotel.
Every bell charts the history of the area, from cockney antiquity to the modern day, paying homage to the architecture, markets, fashions and art scene of the district as well as its people, including cockneys, the Krays and the East End Suffragettes.
The installation brings to life the #SoEastLondon hashtag, a creative digital campaign launched by Andaz London Liverpool Street to celebrate the unique and distinctive character of its East London locale. The themed bells represent seven core elements of this East London identity, which the hotel frequently seeks to explore and illuminate across its own digital platforms.
The installation also offers an incredible interactive experience, by simply tweeting @AndazLondon with #soeastlondon, real bell chimes will be triggered, no matter whether the post is made in the hotel, East London or anywhere across the globe.
The East End cannot be beaten for its lively vintage and flea markets as well as up and coming designer stores and amazing street food. One bell captures this vibrant culture, capturing the roving vendors, barrow stalls and culinary innovation with beautiful etchings.
East London has a long history of fashion and textiles, which is celebrated on one of the bells, with visual nods to everything from hipsters to the 17th century master weaver that was based at Spitalfields Market, which is just a six-minute walk from the hotel.
The Art bell pays homage to the East London graffiti scene, where every day there is something new to discover, and the street walls are adorned with internationally acclaimed works. The bell depicts the modern artist’s tools: spray can, camera and paint.
The largest bell on site, spanning an impressive two meters wide, showcases London’s well-known architecture and skyline, featuring iconic buildings, including the magnificent St Paul’s Cathedral and the Gherkin,
Gangster twins Reggie and Ronnie Kray ruled the East End and the London crime scene with their game, The Firm, which rocked the 1950s and 60s. The terrible twosome left their marks all over the East End with the most famous incident at The Blind Beggar pub in Whitechapel. Their legacy is encapsulated on one of the bells, with the design including guns, Ronnie’s spectacles and boxing gloves.
A further bell celebrates the inspirational determination of Sylvia Pankhurst, who famously protested for the right for women to vote and founded the East London Federation of Suffragettes in 1914, with 198 Bow Road its first headquarters.
Last but not least, the seventh bell plays homage to the Cockney, most famously known for their rhyming slang. The bell is etched with visual references to some of these most famous sayings, like “dog and bone” meaning “telephone” or “apples and pears” meaning “stairs”, adding an essence of heart-warming humour to this installation.
Sitting alongside the large-scale installation in the Lobby will be neon wrapped green Christmas presents, with each East London themed gift having been inspired by the stories told on each of the seven bells.
#SoEastLondon can be found on the supporting installation scripts located around the hotel Lobby, encouraging guests to engage with this trend and join the social conversation around A Very East London Christmas to pay homage to East London.
A clever use of design is always at the heart of the five-star luxury lifestyle hotel: effortlessly combining the building’s heritage form the late nineteenth century when The Great Eastern Hotel occupied the site, with today’s modern aesthetic.
General Manger Otto Steenbeek says, “At the Andaz London Liverpool Street, we want every guest to be able to experience the incredible vibrant culture of East London from within the hotel. This interactive installation achieves this by bringing the area’s unique history and personality into the heart of the Andaz as well as spreading Christmas cheer.
“The Lounge is an impressive location to showcase A Very East London Christmas installation, which offers a creative gathering space for guests and locals to be inspired, make connections and share ideas”.