LOVE IS IN THE AIR IN LONDON
Not only is high-vibrational artist Lisa Sharpe bringing joy to our homes, she’s giving our commute a boost with her latest public art installation “A Billion Hugs”.
Driven by the desire to help people feel more uplifted and connected, she’s spreading hope and happiness across the capital using a fleet of Routemaster buses as her canvas. Catch the number 9, 11, 12, 21, 87, 176, 211, 453, N9, N11 or N87 this summer and you’ll be able to enjoy the latest iteration of her vibrantly colourful “A Billion Hugs” series, which is now in its second year.
Lisa Sharpe says: “We never know what someone else is going through… and it’s my intention that ‘A Billion Hugs’ will uplift people as the buses move around London – giving someone a visual hug when they need it the most.
“We live in a transactional world – giving in order to get – where talk is often about ROI, measurements and statistics: what we are or aren’t getting back, having done a certain thing. ‘A Billion Hugs’ is the total opposite to that, the effects of it can’t be measured nor monitored: we don’t know how many lives it will touch, we can’t measure the impact of how it will make someone feel and the ripple effect that will create, and that’s what lights me up, that’s what I believe unconditional love is all about…”
TURNING BURNOUT INTO BRILLIANCE
The inspiration for the buses came to Lisa in 2005 when signed off work due to burnout.
She stepped out of the London art gallery where she worked for the very last time to see a bus advertising a horror movie, and as she felt that low, dark, negative energy, she thought: “Wouldn’t it be so much nicer to see something more uplifting”. Lisa vowed then and there to one day put out a happier, more loving and uplifting form of energy into the world.
Launched earlier this month, the London buses will continue to spread her optimism throughout July and August with each side carrying a different message. On one side, “You Matter You are Loved” features the names of people who have sponsored their name or a loved one’s name in the artwork. On the other side, “We Believe in You” has been co-created with OneBillionHappy, the foundation set up by Mo Gawdat as part of his mission to help one billion people become happier.
Free tools to feel happier can also be found at https://www.onebillionhappy.org.
For more information on Lisa Sharpe’s uplifting pieces, email info@loughrangallery.co.uk.
