Carmel ThomasonLightwaves, a free festival of light, returns to illuminate MediaCityUK in December.
Last year’s festival saw 19 installations, including interactive art works using voice and body movements to create light changes. Indoors the nearby Lowry Arts Centre hosted immersive virtual reality experiences as part of the festival.
This year, the 10 day annual light festival will run from 6-15 December 2019, and again includes a number of original art commissions.
Emerging artists are supported to join the festival by the Shine Programme in partnership with Light Up The North Network. Following an open call for submissions in June, three emerging artists won commissions to create new light art works for the festival.
Tom Lambert is creating a light installation to transport visitors into a world of kaleidoscopic wonder, where they’re invited to shift perspective from mundane to fantastic. Gemma Woods is developing participatory neon artwork exploring themes of happiness, while Joe Moran is using fresnel lenses to create a rotating sculpture that emits beautiful patterns of refracted light.
The launch of Lightwaves 2019 sees the premiere of a new film, Homage to the Rain. The film, by artists Antony Barkworth-Knight, Rebecca Rae-Evans and Rob Turner, is a celebration both of our rainy city and how rain impacts environments across the globe.
The artists are looking for people to send in their videos for use as part of the film. To be included your video needs to be shot on a mobile phone in landscape.
The project is co-commissioned by festival organisers, Quays Culture and the University of Salford’s Art Collection. For more details and to submit your video contact Homagetotherain@gmail.com or complete a form via the website.
For more details about Lightwaves 2019 visit the Quays Culture website or for volunteering opportunities email participate@quaysculture.com.
Jordon Francis
Reece Donlan
