Come Home Again: A Choral Sculpture of Biodiversity

With Come Home Again, a project brought to life in collaboration with Cartier, artist Es Devlin spotlighted London’s endangered species.

«A dome originally meant a home. The work invites us to see, hear, and feel our home, our city as an interconnected web of species and cultures, to learn and remember the names and sing those under threat into continued existence. The work echoes the invitation invoked by 92-year-old climate activist Joanna Macy: ‘Now it can dawn on us: we are the world knowing itself. As we relinquish our isolation, we come home again...we come home to our mutual belonging.»

- Es Devlin

Closing ceremony brings hope

Located in the Tate Modern garden opposite St Paul’s Cathedral from September 16th-25th, 2022, an illuminated sculpture highlighted the 243 species on London’s priority conservation list – from moths, birds and beetles to wildflowers, fish and fungi.

Accompanied by choirs from London’s diaspora communities who sang the names of these species under threat, this large-scale public artwork, commissioned by Cartier, proposed that the first step towards protecting the biosphere is to pay detailed attention to its inhabitants: to observe and draw them, to learn their names, and remember their stories, to become aware of the interconnection between species and cultures in the city.

Each evening at sunset, the installation – which took on the form of the Cathedral’s dome – welcomed a London-based choral group whose members’ voices were added to those of the birds, bats and insects who also consider London home. Meanwhile, Devlin’s pencil drawings of each of the 243 species were illuminated with projections.

London’s 243 priority species have been identified by the London Biodiversity Action Plan as declining in numbers within the city and as priorities for active conservation and protection. Audiences were invited to engage with the London Wildlife Trust in order to contribute to the cause.

«We are honored to be working with renowned British artist, Es Devlin, a longstanding Friend of the Maison. In today’s world, it’s important to talk about art and creativity in a human and moving way. Come Home Again represents how we can be inspired by the beauty of the world, wherever it may be. Cartier’s responsibility is to make the world more beautiful, not only through our creations but also through our commitments to nature and our philanthropic actions. With our commitment to beauty, art and nature in mind, we are happy to support the London Wildlife Trust’s vital work to help preserve biodiversity.»

- Cyrille Vigneron, President and CEO of Cartier International, President of Cartier Philanthropy.