Double Fizz, UK

Innovative British artist Liz West has created a new immersive art installation, powered by architectural lighting company formalighting, spanning the main artery of the new St. Michael’s development in Manchester City Centre.

The permanent installation, titled Double Fizz, is made up entirely of thousands of vibrantly coloured vertical triangular stripes in polyester vinyl, that are overlaid onto a mirrored surface creating a rich mix of reflected hues. The art is powered by formalighting, who supplied their architectural lighting solutions for this project.

Liz West is known for her wide-ranging works, from the intimate to the monumental. Using a variety of materials and exploring the use of light, she blurs the boundaries between sculpture, architecture, design and painting to create works that are both playful and immersive. Double Fizz creates a new space within the building for exploration and discovery. The artwork depicts and symbolises a physical and metaphorical meeting point of both colours, people and space.

The visually rich multicoloured stripes collectively become softer and create a mesmerising mass when viewed from different angles. The colours, shapes and forms within the work appear to change as visitors move through the space. Mirroring the vertical stripes exaggerates and doubles up the carefully selected colours, creating a fizzing cacophony of colour. The vibrant colours are further enhanced by the lighting, which creates kaleidoscopic coloured shadows on the polished concrete floor, draws out the rich tones and dramatically contrasts each tone against each other.

This immersive installation helps join together the different paths across the space, as well as uniting the community to experience a focal piece of art that illuminates the city centre. As well as the aesthetic appeal that the colours and lights create, the artwork also provides a fun and thought-provoking emotional experience for individuals to gather and enjoy – capturing a sense of enjoyment, entertainment, and emotional fulfilment to those who experience it.