Kindling imagination and bringing the capital out of hibernation, Canary Wharf’s Winter Lights festival kicked off for its sixth year this January. The annual light festival sparked the new decade into life with eclectic work at the intersection of technology and art.
The festival is the only place in the UK to see a beautifully unique collection of Light Art from all over the globe, featuring 25 new installations. Imagine a 450 metre twisting mass of digital neon tubing piercing the night’s darkness, 100 circles of red strobes intrinsically weaved into a Canary Wharf landmark, vast projections of aquatic creatures, and much much more.
Inspiring the public year after year, Winter Lights has become a staple in London’s social calendar, and previously claimed its second darc award, winning Best Event for 2019’s festival.
Debuting from New Zealand and twisting throughout Jubilee Park was Squiggle by Angus Muir. The artwork was born from 450 metres of digital neon tubing. The sea of twists and turns, as an abstract reflection of the multicultural world we live in.
Another Antipodean delight was Affinity, by Amigo & Amigo and S1T2, which allowed you to step into a series of interconnected globes representing neurons and memories in the brain.
The Clew by Portuguese artists Ottotto, with 100 sharp red strobes entwined in the structure of Cubitt Steps bridge. The minimalistic design created a series of captivating reflections on the surrounding water and structures, giving a different perspective on the architecture of Canary Wharf.
From the UK, Lactolight harnessed environmental conversation through the use of single use plastics. Reimagining milk bottles as low-quality pixels, the LED artwork highlighted the decrease in the quality of our world’s environment.
Another homegrown debut was Ditto, by Ithaca. This repeating column of light drifted above and below audiences, repeating infinitely. Sound accompanied the swirling motion, creating a visceral relationship with the artwork, while the mirrored discs reflected spectacularly in both night and day.
Aquatics, by German artist Philipp Artus, was an interactive light installation in which animated water creatures swam around and interacted with each other, highlighting our concerns for the ocean. Visitors were invited to design their own water creatures by making choices about their shape, colour and behaviour, which was then projected onto a wall.
Also debuting was Daisler Association’s, ‘Mi-e dor de tine’, which means ‘I miss you’ in Romanian. The piece represented a special link with the Romanian Lights ON festival in the city of Cluj and was installed in Canary Wharf from November as an early preview of the Winter Lights festival.
Public Art Curator of Canary Wharf Group, Keith Watson commented: “Winter Lights 2020, our sixth edition, continued to be one of the most engaging calendar moments of the year. This beautiful selection of works not only captivated people, but also provoked a deeper conversation across a range of topics. The stunning immersive and interactive artworks thrilled and astounded visitors– and we hope it went some way to inspiring the next generation.”
