#SparkYourCity and Gemma Cairney gave London Bridge a rainbow makeover
Our Monday morning was far from dull this week, and if you were one of the 150,000 commuters that cross London Bridge every day, you know what we’re talking about.
Londoners were greeted by a multicoloured carpet when walking across the (definitely rain-soaked) landmark earlier today.
The “rainbow brick road”, which spans the full 300 metres of London Bridge, was created by BBC Radio 1 presenter Gemma Cairney on behalf of Spark Your City, a global movement dedicated to spark joy in everyday city life.
The campaign, which is powered by luggage brand Kipling, kicked off today (22 June) by transforming London Bridge into a multicoloured walkway in an attempt to turn London’s otherwise ordinary landmarks into a “living playground” with the intention of brightening up the grey, monotonous trudge to work Londoners would otherwise have to experience on a Monday morning.
The bridge, overlooking the murky waters of the Thames, certainly brightened up London for the day, adding a bit of colour into the otherwise drab English “summer” morning (seriously though, where’s the sunshine?)
Gemma Cairney launched the interactive installation this morning dressed in a brightly coloured outfit, wishing a good morning to commuters and handing out flowers to passers-by. Now If that doesn’t cheer you up on your way to work, we don’t know what will!
“[It’s} a chance to challenge perception, make meme dreams reality and people smile on a Monday morning. I dig a challenge,” said Cairney. “[London Bridge] is filled with hundreds of marching grey and black suits every Monday morning and I wanted my mission statement to be bold amongst that.”
“I want to spark imagination with colour and remind a busy city to have fun even at crucial times in our schedules,” said the bubbly TV and Radio personality. Her outfit alone definitely did the job this morning!
Gwenda van Vliet, Kipling’s global marketing director, said:
“I am very proud that we are launching a global movement called Spark Your City in London. Spark Your City is a chain of projects where creative women will transform the city into a brighter place. Kipling proudly supports these women and this movement to make happy.”
Spark Your City is designed to inspire urban women through creativity, and promises a series of immersive and surprising projects led by a group of empowering ambassadors. Other cities taking part in the campaign include Miami, Mexico City, Istanbul, Tokyo and Hong Kong. The second ‘Spark’ will take place in London on August 12, featuring Blue Peter presenter Helen Skelton. The event has been dubbed ‘Urban Jungle’. Curious? So are we! Full details of the second experience will be revealed closer to the date.
If there’s one thing we learned from this morning’s antics, it’s that a little colour always brings a smile on our face!
