# West End gets galactic glow-up for Women's Day

The West End is having an intergalactic takeover with telescopes dotted around the central London area while Piccadilly Circus is full of sounds that have been beamed to the moon and back.

Large illuminated sculptures of asteroid-sized moon rocks and giant fluorescent cats have also been dotted around Leicester Square by artist and designer Nelly Ben Hayoun-Stépanian.

They have all been made by female, queer, transgender and non-binary artists and scientists to mark International Women's Day.

It is hoped that the event will help boost the night-time economy - 3,000 clubs, pubs and bars have closed in London since the pandemic according to the Night Time Industries Association.

## 'Radical imagination'

"Piccadilly Un:Plugged invites you to break free from the everyday and step into the extraordinary and alien aesthetics - to gaze into the cosmos, and to understand that we are only a small part of a much larger ecosystem and solar system itself," said Ms Ben Hayoun-Stépanian, who is also the founder of NASA's International Space Orchestra.

"Powered by an electric team of incredible scientists and female, trans, and non-binary artists, this experience reimagines the future of nightlife - on Earth and beyond.

"I'm beyond excited that everyone can now be part of it, engage their radical imagination and question what other futures could be like."

She added: "Nightlife is a huge part of London culture but since Covid it's taken a massive hit."

## 'Weird and wonderful'



The ideal installation in the social media age?



Nelly Ben Hayoun-Stépanian unveils her large inflatable cat artwork

Ms Ben Hayoun-Stépanian hopes this exhibit can "reflect the vibrancy of what London's night scene used to be".

In a highly digital age where many feel increasingly disconnected from the natural world, she said Piccadilly Un:Plugged invites Londoners to reflect on humanity's place in the universe.

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