The gentrification of Soho, and the arrival of new hotels, cocktail bars and coffee shops, has chased away much of the area’s reputation as a seedy red light district. Artist Lucy Sparrow is celebrating Soho’s history by creating Madame Roxy’s Erotic Emporium, a new installation of pieces made entirely from felt and fabric.

Visitors to the former barbershop in Greene Court, a tiny alley way in the middle of Soho, might be forgiven for thinking they’ve stumbled into a real sex shop. From the posters in the windows to the shelves of porn magazines, sex equipment and DVDs, everything has been carefully stitched, to scale, by Sparrow, in a project which has taken her a year to complete. The effect is witty, naughty and entirely authentic.

Lucy Sparrow hit the headlines last year with The Cornershop, an installation in an empty corner shop in Bethnal Green. From Marmite and Cornflakes to loo rolls, everything was made to scale, with the branding loving reproduced. The shop was a sensation and she sold every piece, including the cash register.

Will the felt condoms, sex toys and porn magazines at Madame Roxy’s Erotic Emporium also fly off the shelves? Time will tell.

Madam Roxy’s Erotic Emporium is open to the public from 12noon to 8pm every day, from 7 – 17 October.