{"id":48431,"date":"2025-08-18T12:56:51","date_gmt":"2025-08-18T11:56:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/?p=48431"},"modified":"2025-08-18T13:00:52","modified_gmt":"2025-08-18T12:00:52","slug":"the-spell-or-the-dream-a-breathing-giant-sculpture-of-a-luminous-blue-woman-in-somerset-house-london","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/the-spell-or-the-dream-a-breathing-giant-sculpture-of-a-luminous-blue-woman-in-somerset-house-london\/","title":{"rendered":"The Spell or The Dream: A breathing giant sculpture of a luminous blue woman in Somerset House, London"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"48436\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/the-spell-or-the-dream-a-breathing-giant-sculpture-of-a-luminous-blue-woman-in-somerset-house-london\/blue-woman-aug25-01\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/blue-woman-aug25-01.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"735,514\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;1.68&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;Pixel 9 Pro XL&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1755447579&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;6.9&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;26&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.000472&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"blue-woman-aug25-01\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/blue-woman-aug25-01.jpg\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-48436\" src=\"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/blue-woman-aug25-01.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"735\" height=\"514\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/blue-woman-aug25-01.jpg 735w, https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/blue-woman-aug25-01-300x210.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/blue-woman-aug25-01-135x93.jpg 135w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 735px) 100vw, 735px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Positioned between the fountains in the centre of Somerset House&#8217;s courtyard is this striking sculpture of a huge, luminous blue, beautiful woman who seems to be lying in state.<\/p>\n<p>Get closer however, and you can see that she appears to be slowly breathing.<\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<div class=\"jetpack-video-wrapper\"><span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"735\" height=\"414\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/iR7vEVl_Weg?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-GB&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/div>\n<p>The work by Turner Prize-winning Tai Shani is entitled &#8216;The Spell or The Dream,&#8217; and it\u00a0brings \u00a0together sculpture, radio, live gatherings and a host of guest contributors.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"48440\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/the-spell-or-the-dream-a-breathing-giant-sculpture-of-a-luminous-blue-woman-in-somerset-house-london\/blue-woman-aug25-05\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/blue-woman-aug25-05.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"735,553\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;1.68&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;Pixel 9 Pro XL&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1755447766&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;6.9&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;22&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.000636&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"blue-woman-aug25-05\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/blue-woman-aug25-05.jpg\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-48440\" src=\"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/blue-woman-aug25-05.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"735\" height=\"553\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/blue-woman-aug25-05.jpg 735w, https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/blue-woman-aug25-05-300x226.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 735px) 100vw, 735px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"48437\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/the-spell-or-the-dream-a-breathing-giant-sculpture-of-a-luminous-blue-woman-in-somerset-house-london\/blue-woman-aug25-02\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/blue-woman-aug25-02.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"735,514\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;1.68&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;Pixel 9 Pro XL&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1755447213&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;6.9&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;21&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.000441&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"blue-woman-aug25-02\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/blue-woman-aug25-02.jpg\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-48437\" src=\"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/blue-woman-aug25-02.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"735\" height=\"514\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/blue-woman-aug25-02.jpg 735w, https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/blue-woman-aug25-02-300x210.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/blue-woman-aug25-02-135x93.jpg 135w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 735px) 100vw, 735px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.somersethouse.org.uk\/whats-on\/tai-shani-the-spell-or-the-dream\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">official website<\/a> has more detail:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>At its heart is\u202fThe Spell, a magnificent new sculpture in the Edmond J Safra Fountain Court, featuring a newly commissioned soundscape by composer, producer and double bassist Maxwell Sterling.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Resting atop a stepped plinth, where visitors can sit, gather or peer inside, the luminous blue figure gently breathes, caught in a suspended state, the spell.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The dreamer sleeps through the warnings of present and imminent catastrophes, political and social disaster and environmental collapse \u2013 but it also dreams of resistance and renewal.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"48438\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/the-spell-or-the-dream-a-breathing-giant-sculpture-of-a-luminous-blue-woman-in-somerset-house-london\/blue-woman-aug25-03\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/blue-woman-aug25-03.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"735,507\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;1.68&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;Pixel 9 Pro XL&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1755447260&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;6.9&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;23&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.000375&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"blue-woman-aug25-03\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/blue-woman-aug25-03.jpg\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-48438\" src=\"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/blue-woman-aug25-03.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"735\" height=\"507\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/blue-woman-aug25-03.jpg 735w, https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/blue-woman-aug25-03-300x207.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/blue-woman-aug25-03-135x93.jpg 135w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 735px) 100vw, 735px\" \/><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Inviting you to wonder, imagine and dream is The Dream radio, running alongside the sculpture. It convenes artists, thinkers and academics including Yanis Varoufakis, Brian Eno, Hannah Black and The Palestinian Sound Archive, to collectively reimagine a hopeful future.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Co-curated by Shani and broadcast globally via Channel, the 24\/7 radio also features three new commissions from C\u00e9cile B Evans, Moor Mother and Cecilia Vicu\u00f1a, alongside archival work, and invites you to submit your dreams for interpretation.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The Dream radio is a continuous broadcast; works will not be available on demand \u2013 tune in live or let it slip into the ether..<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"48439\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/the-spell-or-the-dream-a-breathing-giant-sculpture-of-a-luminous-blue-woman-in-somerset-house-london\/blue-woman-aug25-04\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/blue-woman-aug25-04.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"735,553\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;1.7&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;Pixel 9 Pro XL&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1755447302&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;2.02&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;60&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.000154&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"blue-woman-aug25-04\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/blue-woman-aug25-04.jpg\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-48439\" src=\"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/blue-woman-aug25-04.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"735\" height=\"553\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/blue-woman-aug25-04.jpg 735w, https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/blue-woman-aug25-04-300x226.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 735px) 100vw, 735px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Despite the racket from over excited kids enjoying getting soaked by the adjacent fountains, we found it an incredibly peaceful experience watching the sculpture gently &#8216;breathe. &#8216;<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"48441\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/the-spell-or-the-dream-a-breathing-giant-sculpture-of-a-luminous-blue-woman-in-somerset-house-london\/blue-woman-aug25-06\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/blue-woman-aug25-06.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"735,553\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;1.68&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;Pixel 9 Pro XL&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1755447276&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;6.9&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;27&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.000504&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"blue-woman-aug25-06\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/blue-woman-aug25-06.jpg\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-48441\" src=\"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/blue-woman-aug25-06.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"735\" height=\"553\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/blue-woman-aug25-06.jpg 735w, https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/blue-woman-aug25-06-300x226.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 735px) 100vw, 735px\" \/><\/p>\n<h4>More info<\/h4>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"48449\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/the-spell-or-the-dream-a-breathing-giant-sculpture-of-a-luminous-blue-woman-in-somerset-house-london\/tai\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/tai.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"735,435\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"tai\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/tai.jpg\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-48449\" src=\"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/tai.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"735\" height=\"435\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/tai.jpg 735w, https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/tai-300x178.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 735px) 100vw, 735px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.somersethouse.org.uk\/whats-on\/tai-shani-the-spell-or-the-dream\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Tai Shani: The Spell or The Dream<\/a><br \/>\nSomerset House<br \/>\nStrand, London, WC2R 1LA<\/p>\n<p>Runs until 14th Sept 2025<br \/>\nFree admission<\/p>\n<p>[<em>Above photo: (c) Somerset House<\/em>]<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/maps\/embed?pb=!1m18!1m12!1m3!1d2483.1173897830217!2d-0.11972828724781244!3d51.51106231031741!2m3!1f0!2f0!3f0!3m2!1i1024!2i768!4f13.1!3m3!1m2!1s0x487604b5f3c46771%3A0x439ecc438a580a1!2sSomerset%20House!5e0!3m2!1sen!2suk!4v1686926530209!5m2!1sen!2suk\" width=\"600\" height=\"450\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h4>Join the discussion<\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.urban75.net\/forums\/threads\/london-art-exhibitions-installations-and-events-photos-and-chat.374789\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">London art exhibitions, installations and events \u2013 photos and chat\u00a0<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Positioned between the fountains in the centre of Somerset House&#8217;s courtyard is this striking sculpture of a huge, luminous blue, beautiful woman who seems to be lying in state. Get &hellip; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":48436,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1765,194,456,17,193],"tags":[34,10,1195,567],"class_list":["post-48431","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-art","category-london-features","category-news","category-photos","category-places","tag-art","tag-london","tag-photos","tag-sculpture"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/blue-woman-aug25-01.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pQI7P-cB9","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48431","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=48431"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48431\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":48451,"href":"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48431\/revisions\/48451"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/48436"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=48431"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=48431"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=48431"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}