The Pockets of Light installation was created in the memory of Leeds-based Lighting designer and Society of Light and Lighting past president, Liz Peck.
The Pockets of Light event engages with local schools to provide the design concepts for a heritage building within the local area. A team from the Society then brings this to life for a real installation.
Working with the Light Night team, two Leeds schools were chosen for the Pockets of Light presentation and workshop, one primary (Alder Tree Primary) and one secondary (Leeds West Academy).
The team presented light as a subject to some pupils at the two schools, covering the basics of light and lighting design before students developed their own message and concepts for their façade and submitting the final designs to the team. The final winning submissions were decided in collaboration with the Minster and the Light Night Leeds team.
The designs were worked up by the team, making sure the whole building was cohesive and winning entries harmonised with each other. The idea of the Pockets of Light scheme is to involve the industry and all the fixtures were kindly provided for the project, free of charge, from various suppliers.
The installation was completed entirely by volunteers, both from the Society and the wider lighting community.
The design concepts from the students were displayed on interpretation boards during the event. After the event the interpretation boards and artists’ lanyards were delivered to the schools to be given to the students of the winning entries, giving them a life long memory and hopefully they will think more about light and the lit environment around them.
The Minster monitored the footfall and it is estimated up to 10,000 people viewed the installation over the two nights.
The end result was fantastic and there have been many comments about how much the final installation looked like the students’ concept designs, something the team are extremely proud of. A big thank you goes to all the suppliers and volunteers who gave their time, support and resources to this project.
The winning entries were:
Protect the Planet – Rihana, Alder Tree Primary Academy
‘I love frogs and nobody respects frogs and we should protect the planet’
Music Builds Community – Lizzie, Leeds West Academy
The basis of this submission was the church’s relationship with music and how music builds relationships, community and friendship
We Are All Diverse – Acacia, Tegan, Paris and Layla, Alder Tree Academy
The theme of diversity was picked up by all the above students, using bold colours and patterns, various aspects were taken from each design
Religion is Pure – Hayden, Leeds West Academy
‘A tree represents strength, individuality and expression, also representing growth and interconnection of everything and everybody’
Sema, Alder Tree Primary Academy
The lighting design uses bold colours and strong contrast to celebrate the architectural details and forms of the Minster façade
Contributing OEMs & Partners:
Martin Architectural, iGuzzini, Light Projects, StudioTech, We-ef, Tryka, Griven, Lite Architectural, Kemps Architectural, Gondola Pro, Martin Professional, Helvar, MaxiLED Lighting
Photograph courtesy of Gamma Illumination.
