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It’s almost that time of year again, when festive light displays will illuminate London’s skies.
Usually with Christmas lights you’ve got your trees, your reindeer, your angels, your baubles. But this year the Shard has decided to do something a bit different. The tower at London Bridge has decided to create a beautiful light display inspired by artwork created by one of their very own members of staff.
For 2025, the landmark’s Christmas illuminations will be inspired by paintings by Gustavo Zuluaga Villegas, a Colombian-born amateur artist and a member of the Shard’s housekeeping team. The 65-year-old amateur painter has worked at the Shard for eight years, but in his spare time creates vibrant abstract impressionist paintings, depicting everything from horses, to still life to abstract shapes.
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The lighting display inspired by Zuluaga Villegas’s work will feature a range of sequences from striking rainbow flashes, to a reindeer darting across the skyline.
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Zuluaga Villegas said: ‘I came to London from Colombia in 1996 to start a new chapter in my life. The Shard has been part of that journey for the past eight years, and it means a lot to see my artwork reflected on a building I know so well.
‘During the pandemic, my daughter’s creativity inspired me to return to painting, something that’s always been close to my heart. To now see those paintings transformed into light for everyone to enjoy feels incredibly special.’
Michael Baker, chief executive of REM, asset manager of The Shard, said: ‘Zuluaga Villegas’s work is full of colour, movement and emotion, and we’re proud to see it shining across London’s skyline.’
What date will the Shard’s Christmas lights turn on?
The lights will be switched on in the evening of November 25. The exact time of the switch-on is still to be confirmed.
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