Lumiere London festival will use the capital’s most iconic landmarks as the basis for artistic exploration. From the 18th until the 21st of January, the city’s streets, buildings, and public spaces will be transformed into a large-scale nocturnal art exhibition of light and sound.
International and UK-based artists will create over fifty artworks and the instalments can be seen across London’s West End, Kings Cross, Mayfair, Fitzrovia, Southbank, Waterloo, Westminster, and Victoria. A programme and a festival map are available online, so that those interested can navigate the walking routes easily.
DesignCurial have also created a list of the 7 must-see installations that will show the range and creativity of the festival.
First one is ‘Nightlife’ by the Lantern Company and Jo Pocock at Square Gardens, which will bring an idyllic wonderland to the city with an illuminated secret garden. They have decided to play with the relationship between the wilderness and urban city life, inviting visitors to celebrate the natural world. Following up is ‘Lampounette’ by the French artistic studio TILT at King’s Boulevard. The project features gigantic office desk lamps, focusing on the exploration of light.
Canadian artists Rami Bebawi / KANVA have created ‘Entre Les Rangs’ at Lewis Cubitt Park , with thousands of illuminated flower-like reflectors that pay tribute to fields of wheat. ‘Waterlight’ by Daan Roosegaarde was inspired by the changing relationship that people have with water and the risks that global warming pose to rising sea levels. The Granary Square was turned into a dream-like blue landscape.
‘Impulse’ by Lateral Office and CS Design invites people to play outside and find their inner child in the illuminated and interactive seesaws at South Molton Street. The more they move, the more light and sound they will produce, so jump on and have some fun. Daniel Iregui has created ‘Control No Control’ at Whitfield Gardens, a LED sculpture that explores geometry and pattern. People are encouraged to use their bodies and manipulate the graphics. Last one is ‘The Wave’ at Riverside Walkway by the Danish artist Vertigo that created 40 triangular, glowing sound gates that respond to movements sonically and visually, changing every time.
