The Big Egg Hunt

This weekend I finally got around to joining in with the Big Egg Hunt in London.  If you've been in central London in the last 6 weeks, you will most likely have passed at least one of the giant eggs in question.  There are over 200 of them, each decorated by a different designer, artist or celebrity, and hidden in any one of 12 different "egg zones" right across London.  Downloadable zone maps tell you which eggs are in which zone, but it's down to you to find them, and when you do, to text in the egg's unique keyword to be in with a chance of winning the £100,000 Diamond Jubilee Faberge egg.  All proceeds go to the two charities behind the Big Egg Hunt: Elephant Family and Action for Children.

'Street Homage to Faberge' by Zandra Rhodes

There are so many things I found inspiring about this project.  First of all, it's just plain fun.  I completely lost myself in the thrill of the hunt.  There's just nothing quite like the buzz of spotting an elusive egg across a crowded plaza, through a shop window, or suspended high above the street.  The search took me to places I'd never been before -- even walking the usually familiar Southbank, I saw the river from a new vantage point on the top terrace of the National Theatre.  It also simultaneously brought out characteristics of grave competitiveness and heart-warming teamwork.  One minute I was arguing with my egg-hunting buddy about which of us had spotted a particular egg first.  The next minute we were both comparing notes with another couple in Covent Garden studiously crossing items off of their own zone map.  They told us they'd spotted over 150 eggs already, and I'm really rooting for them to find the rest.  Getting strangers to talk to each other in central London is no mean feat, and I think the organisers should be truly proud of themselves for achieving that.

'Eggsquisit London' by Paul Kenton

But not to lose sight of the artworks themselves -- another just as impressive achievement of the project is that it has made a whole exhibition of painting and sculpture effortlessly accessible to all.  With such a diversity of style and approach, I'd be amazed if you couldn’t find an egg that makes you smile.  I know I barely stopped smiling all day.  I overheard dozens of conversations admiring the unique beauty of one particular egg or another.  I have to say I noticed a lot of these conversations happening around Brodie Neill’s 'Gregg', which seemed to be a firm favourite.  Generally, though, I can't remember the last time I heard an exhibition of artwork inspire such enthusiastic discussion -- picking out favourites, and discussing how we might have decorated our own eggs given the opportunity. 

'Sarah' by Natasha Mann

For the record, my personal preferences were for the more "sculptured" pieces that focussed on the egg shape as the basis for the design concept – Sponge Creatives' 'Pop', for example, and Rachel Waldron's 'Busby'  were especially good fun.  Speaking as a self-confessed unicorn fan, though, the hands down favourite for me was Theo Fennell's 'The Birth of a Legend'.  If only I had a spare £4,000, I'd put a bid on it at the Big Egg Auction.

I'm only sorry that I didn't have time to explore more egg zones. I would have loved to have searched them all out.  But I look forward to seeing all 210 on display in Covent Garden over the Easter weekend, and I can't wait to see what Elephant Family come up with next time.