Rachel Whiteread’s Christmas tree lights up Mayfair

A Christmas tree by a Turner prizewinning artist is lighting up one of London’s swankiest neighbourhoods. Rachel Whiteread’s glistening festive totem stands in Carlos Place outside The Connaught hotel which commissioned the yuletide piece (Sean Scully and Tracey Emin have designed the tree in the past). Whiteread’s eye-popping commission is bedecked with 102 circular neon white hoops, encouraging Londoners to “celebrate a feeling of togetherness and circles of positive brightness throughout the festive season”, says a heartwarming statement. Whiteread says: “I chose to use circles of light, a motif that I have used before. I love the simplicity of the idea, the light illuminating the beautiful Premier Nordmann tree, creating a simple and ornamental tree that will light up the Mayfair neighbourhood.” This festive treat is worlds away from one of Whiteread’s most celebrated works, House (1993-94), a life-sized cast of the interior of a condemned terraced house in London’s East End which existed for a few months before it was controversially demolished.