Contemporary British restaurant Aqua Shard is celebrating the festive season this year with a creative and beautifully decorated tall Christmas tree in their spacious restaurant on Level 31 of The Shard overlooking London’s skyline in partnership with Laurent-Perrier Champagne and talented artist Kelvin Okafor, called Portraits of Christmas.
And yesterday evening a group of us got together to toast the start of the festive season at Aqua Shard with a glass or two of Laurent-Perrier of course, to not only see the beautiful Christmas tree up close but also to meet Kelvin.
The artistic tree is designed to celebrate individuality, connection and giving back to the community with a collection of incredibly realistic portraits set against panoramic views of London’s skyline.
It has been inspired by Kelvin’s project Drawing Awareness, which is a collection of graphite and charcoal portraits that are so lifelike they could be photographs. In fact, I thought they were at first glance. Each portrait hanging on the tree celebrates the features that make its sitter unique, such as Winnie Harlow’s vitiligo and Seal’s facial scars.
Instead of having more traditional decorations hanging on the tree, what these lifelike portraits do is draw you in to take a closer look at the faces and at the lives behind them, which I believe Kelvin has done very successfully.
There is, however, more to the tree as the portraits give it a real purpose as both Aqua and Kelvin are giving back to the community by auctioning a selection of artworks throughout the festive season. The proceeds will go to support Only A Pavement Away, which is a charity that helps people facing homelessness look towards brighter futures through employment in hospitality.
This theme is carried through to the restaurant’s bar, where Aqua Shard and Champagne Laurent-Perrier have created some special limited edition cocktails inspired by Kelvin’s world. For example, Gradient Contour echoes the way sharp lines soften into the delicate shading in his pencil work, pairing crisp gin and verjus with vanilla, chamomile and pino mugo, topped with Champagne Laurent-Perrier La Cuvée. Then there is Graphite Impression which takes its cue from Kelvin’s favourite ice cream flavour, layering rum and raisin with maple and tonka to evoke the deep, woody tones of graphite and charcoal on paper.
Adam Guy, Managing Director for Laurent-Perrier UK, said:
“Since 1812, Laurent-Perrier has challenged the conventions of Champagne while honouring its traditions, from the first Cuvée Rosé made by maceration to the non-dosage Ultra Brut. Kelvin does the same with a pencil, using one of the oldest tools in art to change who we look at and why. Portraits of Christmas brings that spirit to the Christmas tree itself, replacing baubles with faces. We’re proud to raise a glass to it with Aqua Shard and Kelvin this season, and to support the vital work of Only A Pavement Away.”
Kelvin Okafor commented on the partnership by saying:
“It has been such a joy to see this partnership with Aqua Shard come to life. The Christmas tree feels like a beautiful extension of my practice, bringing together portraiture, individuality, connection and storytelling in such an imaginative way. I’m especially grateful that the campaign is supporting Only A Pavement Away. So much of my work is rooted in recognising the humanity, dignity and individual story of every person, and that is why supporting a charity committed to helping people rebuild their lives and move towards greater stability feels deeply meaningful to me. I love that this project can celebrate creativity while also contributing to something with real social purpose.”
Portraits of Christmas will be on display at Aqua Shard until 4th January 2027, and you can enjoy the festive cocktail menu along with the restaurant’s festive menu right the way through the festive season as well as on Christmas Day.
For more details on the festive menus and to make a reservation, please visit: www.aquashard.co.uk
Author Bio:
Simon Burrell is a UK-based travel and motoring journalist and editor, a former member of The British Guild of Travel Writers and professional photographer.
Photograph by Ben Carpenter courtesy of Aqua Shard
Be the first to comment