Art After Dark: Piccadilly Un:Plugged

_{Nelly Ben Hayoun-Stépanian Ph.D., founder of NASA’s International Space Orchestra, transformed London’s West End into an accessible cosmic playground. Her fusion of surrealist public art and space science created an unforgettable experience.}

Over three free nights, Piccadilly Un:Plugged, curated by Nelly Ben Hayoun-Stépanian, invited visitors to look beyond the city skyline and into the vast cosmos. Perfectly timed to coincide with the partial solar eclipse, it offered a unique chance to connect with the universe.

Iridescent, asteroid-sized moon rocks landed in Piccadilly Circus, while two towering inflatable sculptures inspired by Schrödinger’s quantum physics paradox—nicknamed the ‘Cats’—stood close by in Leicester Square.

Using cutting-edge interstellar technology, recordings made in the West End, alongside the heartbeats of Nelly’s Armenian family, journeyed 768,800 km to the moon and back. These sounds were received by the Lovell Telescope at Jodrell Bank Observatory, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, then broadcast back to Piccadilly Circus, creating an otherworldly soundscape linking Earth with the cosmos.

London became a portal to explore the night sky during ‘galaxy season,’ when distant galaxies were at their most visible. Guided by scientists and representatives from the SETI Institute, the public used UNISTELLAR’s advanced telescopes to view nebulae and planets like Jupiter, joining the search for extraterrestrial intelligence from iconic West End locations.

The shimmering moon rocks in Piccadilly Circus not only dazzled the eyes but also created an immersive cosmic experience. A specially curated soundtrack brought the universe to life, blending celestial sounds with the heartbeat of London’s West End.

Included in this playlist was a newly produced track in collaboration with the late noise artist EOBIONT (Láwû Makuriye’nt), featuring the heartbeats of women in Nelly’s Armenian family to mark International Women’s Day. Recordings from West End streets and institutions, produced by multi-instrumentalist Ayse Hassan (Savages, Esya), added another rich layer. Original tracks from Nelly and University of the Underground’s longtime collaborators—including Massive Attack, The Avalanches (feat. Blood Orange), Pussy Riot, Mirrored Fatality, and Moses Boyd—completed this cosmic symphony.

In loving memory of Láwû Makuriye’nt (aka EOBIONT, Mango, half of Mirrored Fatality)