Another occasion on which I went to capture a few shots of London, this time at night. I was following a few of the responses I received on my questionnaire.

Piccadilly Theatre, Denman Street

The first one detailed a memory of the West End, to see Moulin Rouge – so this was my first stop. It was a Friday night so I expected it to be quite busy out, and it was, to my delight.

Before I moved on, I drew a small sketch of the theatre and a neighbouring pub on Denman Street at the angle I was then viewing it from.

Cambridge Circus

My next stop was Cambridge Circus, and to get there I walked along Shaftesbury Avenue, still trying to take in as much as I could, including any snippets of overheard conversations.

When I got to Cambridge Circus I felt unsure of what direction I should capture footage from, particularly because the restaurant referenced in the questionnaire response no longer exists. I spent a moment watching to see where the most action seemed to be happening, and where traffic was commonly passing through. I set myself up beside 

and turned my camera back on. After some time standing, gathering footage from different angles, I realised I was filming directly opposite an outdoor urinal. The concept of those being so blatantly placed on the streets of London still baffles me a touch – and before this point I genuinely hadn’t noticed, but then felt a strange conflict on whether it would be appropriate for me to use any footage gathered of those, accidentally or not. For instance – I wouldn’t be pleased if someone recorded me having a wee; then again, I don’t think I would, or could, bring myself to openly urinate in front of everyone passing through Cambridge Circus on a Friday night, or any point in time. One could argue there is a type of consent given already, or surely at least there is an acknowledgment of the general public’s free will (including tourists, and others taking photos and videos regularly, everywhere) that comes with having a very public wee; regardless of if it’s using an officially placed, public urinal – you’re on Cambridge Circus.

(I have not included images of the urinal)

I overheard a few interesting, out-of-context, remarks as I contemplated how I felt about public urinals at busy intersections. One conversation between two men began (for me) with ‘- because we’re British’. Their somewhat topical debate was dominated wholly by one, white ‘British’ male, and approximately three minutes later, ended with ‘Hey, what happens in London, stays in London’, followed an awkward hug, and a swift goodbye from the other male party. The Outspoken Man looked back as they parted, his former, predominately silent, foreign, companion did not.

Leicester Square

Next up was the Odeon at Leicester Square, which was pretty quiet – I wasn’t even sure if it was open at that point. I also felt a little more wary of my safety here – perhaps because there were more people seemingly loitering, though I’m not sure what this implied in my subconscious exactly. I chose a couple of angles for photos and videos at this location, but didn’t feel very comfortable so didn’t stay for very long. I did catch sight of a tiny mouse scavenging for a pre-paid for dinner in the shrubbery around the Leicester Square itself though, and I thought it a sweet reminder that people aren’t the only occupants of the city.

Leicester Square Underground Station

This final location on the night was my favourite. It felt very romanticised as I travelled down the escalator to the Piccadilly Line platforms, with John Lennon’s ‘Imagine’ being performed by a talented, underground, busker. The live acoustics seemed perfect and the atmosphere was pleasant as I ventured through the station. Evidently a Friday night, it felt full of life, though it came in bursts as crowds made their way past me, filming, and taking photos.

I was in the walkway long enough to hear the busker play a few classic covers before they started playing ‘Imagine’ again – I took this as my queue to move on. As I walked down to the platform, I encountered a, seemingly, passed-out, homeless person and their obedient dog sat just by the platform entrances. Whilst I had been recording the ‘good vibes’ through Leicester Square station, this person had likely been there the whole time. It was very juxtaposing to my mood, and the togetherness, and serenity I felt I had captured through my camera just seconds before.

---