There follows some images from the exhibition which you can read about in the Guide and decide if you want to visit in person.
Drainer III …
Harmonizer …
Inseminator …
Fertilizer …
Suspended Interior I …
Mediator III …
One reviewer has written: ‘Writers often use the term ‘visceral’ metaphorically, to signify raw, instinctive emotions: but as applied to the current exhibition at the Barbican Curve, Julia Phillips’s Inside, Before They Speak, the term is used quite literally. The exhibition focuses on the Chicago-based artist’s almost obsessive interest in the body, particularly its insides – or viscera – and human conception’.
I have to say that there were a couple of times when I felt a bit queasy! But I’m still pleased I went.
The Tides We Share is a dynamic group exhibition presented by the Persephone Collective, a group dedicated to uniting and promoting female artists. This exhibition brings together eight artists from diverse cultural backgrounds whose practices converge around themes of memory, identity, resilience, and transformation.
Rooted in an awareness of our interconnectedness with the natural world, their work also reflects a deep sensitivity to the environment – the cycles of earth, water, and body that shape both personal and collective experience. Through processes that engage organic forms and ecological metaphors, the artists invite viewers to consider how the body and the landscape mirror one another in states of flux, endurance, and renewal.
Through painting, mixed media, photography, installation, and poetry, The Tides We Share creates a powerful interplay between the tactile and the emotional, the personal and the universal. It offers a space where viewers can confront questions about how we frame and reframe our histories, identities, and relationships to the world around us. How do we reconcile the forces of preservation and change? How can we transform pain, memory, and identity into beauty and connection?
Here’s a selection of some of the works on display. I visited feeling fed up on a miserable, cold, wet day and came out smiling!
On a very, very cold day last weekend I visited some of the installations on the Festive Fleet Street Quarter Sculpture Trail. This year there is a special guest, Snoopy, the famous dog from the Peanuts cartoons which are celebrating 75 years since they were first published. You can read more about the cartoon and its famous characters here.
There are twelve sculptures in all and I visited four of them. The trail is in place until January 16 and here are the images I took along with details of the artists.
Just in front of the St Paul’s Visitor Centre is Laura-Kate Draws’ work Snoopy’s Winter Chorus …
This festive birdhouse is alive with colourful robins, blue tits, and seasonal plants found in the UK. These small but resilient birds bring brightness and song to the darkest months, reminding us of nature’s beauty even in the coldest seasons.
Laura-Kate Draws’ work is inspired by the connections between nature, creativity, and community. Through public art, she hopes to create moments of curiosity and wonder that invites people of all ages to pause, reflect, and feel more connected to their environment.
In St Bride’s Passage is Plant Dreams, Harvest Joy by Kim Thompson …
The design parallels the act of cultivation and being in nature with Snoopy, a beloved character who has come to symbolise creativity, imagination and optimism.
Kim Thompson is an award-winning Illustrator and Contemporary Painter. A love letter to retro-kitsch, her bold and engaging work often centres visual narrative, aiming to unify and empower audiences via shared experience.
In Playhouse Yard is Simon Randall’s Penguin Parade …
This design features a happy, wintery scene with playful penguins all wrapped up in cuddly jumpers enjoying the snow. Joyful Christmas lights are entwined across the sculpture.
Simon is a painter, illustrator, graphic designer and arts educator, living with his young family in rural Yorkshire. Working in hospital and PRU settings for much of his career, Simon finds every opportunity to expressive himself creatively, but also to share his passion with young people.
At Ludgate Circus is Amanda Quellin’s Home for Christmas (my favourite) …
Christmas is all about traditions, those passed down and those we create to pass down in turn. This sculpture of Snoopy is based on the iconic tradition of decorating your house, or in this case Snoopy’s iconic red Doghouse, with Christmas lights.
Amanda Quellin is a professional scenic artist who has completed over 65 sculptures for Wild in Art trails. She is currently about to collaborate with scientists who are raising money from the sale of artworks to fund scientific research into environmental issues.
You can download a map and listen to an audio trail here.
I’ve always loved Snoopy and his friends! You can see and read more about them here.
The aromas as I walk down Whitecross Street on weekdays remind me of the street foods we encountered Asian countries such as Cambodia, Vietnam and Malaysia – absolutely delicious. Here they do a great trade with office workers but I took these images as they were setting up and before the queues started forming. There weren’t as many stalls as usual, probably because it was just after the holiday.
Finally, some wildlife in Winter.
A seagull contemplates the frozen lake …
Then, to make matters worse, a disorientated pigeon lands on top of him …
Uneasy neighbours …
Then he joined a friend for a stroll on the ice …
Pigeons sunbathing on my balcony (they didn’t take kindly to me disturbing them, I’m definitely getting the ‘evil eye’) …
Oh, and here are the first dumped Christmas trees of 2026 …
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