Underneath the Bloomberg’s European HQ building in London is a real treat – come for the archaeology and stay for the art. Before you step down into the Mithraeum, one of the best presented archaeological experiences in London, you will undoubtedly notice a colourful art installation by Do Ho Suh titled Proposal for Sach’ŏnwang-sa (2021). More about it later. 

There is a thing archaeologists often say, either seriously or more tongue-in-cheek, when they don’t know what something was for, they say it was ritual. Before you visit the London Mithraeum get ready to hear all about all the mysterious and ritual things. Some of them are based on historical and archaeological evidence, others are probably a really good guesswork. 

Mithraeum is the name for a temple of Mithras. Mithras, one of less known Roman deities, was ‘imported’ from Persia to Rome, where Mithraism developed a distinct Roman flavour. It was a male-only cult, apparently very popular amongst Roman soldiers. The cult involved elaborate initiation rituals, and access to the temple was only for the initiated.

Before the Bloomberg building was on its current spot, or even before London was called London, this place was Londinium, a Roman settlement, which has transformed over the centuries of human occupation. In the 3rd century CE, near the banks of Walbrook, one of London’s lost rivers, a Roman Londoner, thought to be Ulpius Silvanus, likely an army veteran (his name was on an inscription found during the excavation) built a temple to the god Mithras. First discovered and excavated in 1952-1954 the temple was later reconstructed nearby. The second excavation took place in 2010-2014, after Bloomberg acquired the site, and over 14,000 artifacts were found. This time a more accurate reconstruction was done, the Mithraeum you can visit today is located as close as possible to the original location. 

Some of the nicest artifacts are on display in a large case on the ground floor. You can explore them using the free Bloomberg Connect app, which I recommend as it has lots of interesting information. There are also interactive screens at the Mithraeum, where you can learn more about the temple and the cult of Mithras during your visit. While we don’t know that much about Mithraism, the archaeological finds recovered from the site tell us a lot about the ordinary lives of Londoners who lived here almost 2000 years ago. Among the items you will see different kinds of pottery, metal objects, coins, jewellery, and even a shoe. 

The main attraction is the sensory experience. Light and haze effects accompanied by an audio recording evoke the mysterious atmosphere of the rituals that took place in the mithraeum centuries ago. You will hear instruments and male voices chanting in Latin echoing throughout the temple. A central image of Mithraism is the tauroctony or bull-slaying scene. Mithras is shown wearing a soft conical cap (also known as Phrygian cap) and killing a bull. A contemporary metal sculpture depicting a version of this scene is placed at the far end of the reconstructed temple. In surviving examples of this scene Mithras is usually accompanied by a dog and snake who drink the bull’s blood and there is also a scorpion reaching for the bull’s genitals. (Something to do with the enigmatic origin story of Mithras, or something ritual-related?) Sometimes there are also representations of god Sol – the sun, and Luna the goddess of the moon, and zodiac signs framing the image. 

Back upstairs let’s have a look at the temporary art installation in the Bloomberg SPACE. Placed above the Roman Mithraeum is an artistic reimagining of another enigmatic temple, this one from South Korea. Proposal for Sach’ŏnwang-sa by Do Ho Suh catches the eye even from the outside. It resembles a rainbow-coloured gazebo with a yellow translucent vertical sculptural structure hanging down from its ceiling. The multicoloured roof is supported by thin metal beams. On the floor there are stone blocks arranged as a square in plan. The stones serve as bases for short wooden columns or totem poles which are tied together with a white rope. 

The Buddhist temple Sach’ŏnwang-sa was built around 670 CE in Gyeongju, South Korea. The only structural elements surviving to this day are square stone blocks, replicas of which are used in Suh’s installation. According to the account in Samguk Yusa, (collection of texts relating to the three ancient Korean Kingdoms) in the seventh century CE the Korean kingdom of Silla was under the threat from the Chinese Tang Empire. The king asked a Buddhist monk for help and he was advised to build a monastery dedicated to Four Heavenly Kings. Because time was of the essence, the temple was built of colourful silk instead of a more sturdy material. A successful ritual was performed at the temple as it secured victory in the upcoming battle. Inspired by this story Do Ho Suh decided to recreate the long-lost temple using historical sources, archaeological evidence and his imagination. The result is stunning. 

Visualising the sense of space, transformation of the tangible into something more ephemeral, fixing memory of a place into a piece of art, those are some of the elements recurring in Do Ho Suh’s works. The Korean artist (b.1962 in Seoul) is best-known for his immersive 1:1 scale textile replicas of homes he lived in over the years. One such project was Home within Home (2019) displayed at MMCA in Seoul. This is the second time the artist brought a piece of his native Korea into London. His Bridging Home (2018) installation was on display not far from the Mithraeum as part of Sculpture in the City (2018-2019) (see the image here).

In one of his interviews Suh mentioned the importance of mundane objects in his home, which gained significance through the memory tied to space. In Proposal for Sach’ŏnwang-sa for the first time Suh works with a building he does not have a personal connection with. This project is different because the artist tried to recreate a space which does not exist anymore, so there was a lot of artistic licence at work. 

When you look closer at the glowing sculptural cascade in the centre of the structure you will notice that it’s made of stacks of tiny human figurines, who are metaphorically supporting the structure. This central element harks back to the artist’s earlier sculpture Public Figures (1998) consisting of a little army of tiny human figures carrying an empty plinth above their heads. 

The two temples – the Mithraeum and the Proposal for Sach’ŏnwang-sa complement each other. Although visually very different, there are certain parallels. Both temples use symbolism extensively, in the Mithraeum it’s the astrology and not fully understood symbols related to Mithras. In the case of the Sach’ŏnwang-sa, the colour-coded totem poles, as proposed by the artist, represent the Buddhist Five Directional Deities, Five Elements of the East (water, fire, wood, metal and earth) and Four Heavenly Kings. 

In his practice Do Ho Suh is interested in transitional spaces, such as corridors and staircases. Before you reach the reconstructed Mithraeum, you will go through an interesting dark staircase which takes you on a journey into old London. As you descend under the street level, the reliefs on the staircase make a timeline marking events in the history of London, before you arrive at the Roman level. In the Roman temple the light and haze create an illusion of ephemeral walls during the experience, the original building was partially underground, probably to symbolise a cave. In the past the interior of the Mithraeum would have been illuminated by fire torches. In Do Ho Suh’s temple installation the light is everything – the central element made of little figurines, symbolising the main Buddhist deity fills the space with warm yellow, almost golden light. The whole structure glows beautifully. 

The juxtaposition of contemporary art and ancient structure works really well. Proposal for Sach’ŏnwang-sa adds interest to an already impressive display and sensory experience. Really worth a visit.  

The London Mithraeum is free to visit, but you need to book a timed ticket due to social distancing measures. Do Ho Suh’s Proposal for Sach’ŏnwang-sa installation is on display in Bloomberg SPACE on the ground floor from 28 July 2021 until 22 January 2022.

Read more: 

London Mithraeum website: https://www.londonmithraeum.com/ 

Bloomberg SPACE link (you can also see past art installations here): https://www.londonmithraeum.com/bloomberg-space/