Reader, it was beautiful - by Tracy Darnton

Recently, I came across something beautiful. I don't use that word often because I'm a sceptical, cynical old thing, but I was unexpectedly moved by a piece of public art in the Tate Modern garden on the edge of the Thames. 

What was it? 

An illuminated choral sculpture (yes, it's a thing) called Come Home Again by artist Es Devlin, sponsored by Cartier. As dusk fell, the barriers went back and we perched on the white cubes to await the small choir. 

For me, this installation successfully combined visual arts, words and music to provide a memorable experience. But this was also a piece so firmly rooted in its setting. London's wildlife was incorporated in an original way, with the involvement of London Wildlife Trust, to highlight flora and fauna on the biodiversity action plan. Birdsong and black and white illustrations brought them to life. This was all backed up by a website of further information which I'd recommend for a close up look of Es Devlin's gorgeous drawings. 

I loved how the dome of St Paul's across the water was reproduced in a scale model. The creator Es Devlin, who introduced it on one evening, said she'd developed the kernel of the idea when she was visiting the cathedral and could still hear the busker outside Tate Modern on the other side of the river. She urged us to go to evensong there - which I did the following evening. 

Different choirs brought a different atmosphere to each performance. I saw (and heard!) The Sixteen and the South African Cultural Gospel Choir UK on different evenings. Beautiful! 

The Sixteen choir

The music was interwoven with a soundtrack and descriptions of the wildlife evensong and dawn chorus, using light and projections to highlight particular birds and insects. Somehow, the solemnity and communal experience available at a church evensong was shared here by a group of people, both Londoners and tourists, who happened to be passing or joined the queue. Religious or not, it fed the soul. 

You can check out the full website here but sadly it finished on 1st October. Despite there being a kind of beauty in its ephemeral nature, I hope it comes back.

I'd have liked a different title but Come Home Again showed how good public art can inform and move us, and provide spectacle. How something unexpected on a chilly evening walk can just be simply beautiful. 

Beautiful.

Tracy Darnton is the author of YA thrillers Ready or Not, The Rules and The Truth About Lies. She'll be back to her cynical, thriller-writing self next month. 

You can follow Tracy on Twitter or Instagram @TracyDarnton