Given the neat symmetry, painstaking composition and elaborate craftsmanship behind every frame in a Wes Anderson movie, it’s a wonder that anything could ever manage to be accidentally Wes Anderson.
But the director’s aesthetic is so distinctive, it’s inspired thousands of people around the world to capture real locations on camera as though they were ripped straight out of a Wes Anderson film – snapping grand old buildings, retro train stations, cable cars and mountain huts, all sporting pastel hues and perfect symmetry.
For years now, husband-and-wife duo Amanda and Willy Koval (who already sounds like a Wes Anderson character) have been collating thousands of these pleasingly proportioned images on their Instagram account, Accidentally Wes Anderson. They’ve gathered enough to publish a best-selling book, and have already staged several pop-ups displaying some of their favourites. And now, Accidentally Wes Anderson has gotten its longest-running London exhibition yet.
Now open in South Kensington, the Accidentally Wes Anderson exhibition features more than 200 delightfully whimsical shots of real locations around the world. They’re arranged across seven hyper-colourful rooms, each with distinctive themes like ‘Maritime’ and ‘Transport’, including a room dedicated to snaps taken here in London.
Of course, you also get to exit via the gift shop and stock up on retro stationery, postcards and signed copies of the Accidentally Wes Anderson book. And there’s plenty of photo opportunities for you, too, with set design touches like walls covered with hotel keys; a photobooth; and the chance for your own pictures to be featured in the London room.
Which has a nice symmetry to it.
NOTE: Accidentally Wes Anderson runs in South Kensington until 12th May 2024. Tickets start at £13.99 – you can find out more, and book, HERE.
Accidentally Wes Anderson | 79-85 Old Brompton Road, London SW7 3LD
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