A slice of summery Shoreditch has landed in autumnal Belgravia, complete with a giant pink mist waterfall. Bompas and Parr's latest London Instagram love-in (recall its immersive ice-cream installation in July), promises to transport you to Paradise Now, and make you feel you've had a week-long holiday in just 30 minutes.
Housed in the new Eccleston Yards retail development, Paradise Now is billed as an ‘outdoor spa', and has the Bompas and Parr signature in every detail; from the aforementioned tower of misty-eyed pastel, to the large-scale infrared sun installation, waving a ‘perpetual sunset' across the square.
As in all of Sam Bompas and Harry Parr's work, there's considerable thought behind the photo-fodder. The pink rubik's-cube style floor, for example, is not candy-hued for the sake of it. It's so-coloured in Baker Miller pink, a shade scientifically proven to relax and reduce anxiety. The pink waterfall is enriched with natural, energising minerals – a bouquet of raspberry leaf, aloe vera, and chamomile. Elsewhere, in the ‘haptic dunes’ meditation zone, guests can absorb nutrients from the aromatherapy-scented pebbles.
Sound a little ‘out there'? There's no reason for it to, thinks Parr. ‘Although honing our physical selves and going to the gym has become the new normal, focusing on mental well-being is definitely playing catch-up, so in that sense, Paradise Now offers a glimpse into the future.’
Overlooked by a larger-than-life mural of Frida Kahlo, with real flowers tumbling from her crown, Eccleston Yards is a distinctly millennial-minded development, akin to the many we've seen pop-up in east London over the years, and a great spot for this kind of immersive installation. Designed by BuckleyGrayYeoman, the 80,000 sq ft cluster of like-minded independent stores, boutiques and haptic cafés has materialised rather swiftly and under-the-radar, in the once rather closed-off spot where Victoria turns into Knightsbridge. It's the hope that this, the Yards' inaugural public installation, will open the development up to an open-minded visitor, hunting for a new London hotspot to unwind in.
INFORMATION
Paradise Now runs from 7 - 15 September 2018. For more information, visit the Eccleston Yards website
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