Winter Lights

Last night after work I went to see the Winter Lights show at Canary Wharf. This is an annual exhibit of sculptures involving light and often sound, with the artworks positioned in public areas between all the glass towers of banks and investment firms.

I've been to Winter Lights several times, in 2016, 2018 and 2019. I could have sworn I've been more recently but I can't find anything in my blog, so maybe not. The years fly by!

In any case, it was good  to go back and see works like "The Peace Poem" (above) by Emergency Exit Arts and Robert Montgomery.

Above "The Peace Poem," the pedestrian bridge has been adorned by a work called "Captivated by Colour," by Camille Walala. The lights change color, which in turn makes the walls change as well.

Here's one of Simon Chevalier's "Les Oiseaux," a group of metal-winged bird-like structures. (Some of them weren't lit when I saw them. I also note that these look slightly different from the ones on the Winter Lights web site -- maybe the artist made some changes in his design?)

Here's "The Clew" by Ottotto. Lots of people were standing in the middle taking selfies. (Which is true of all these sculptures, actually.)

And here's "Idle Time" by Marcus Lyall, in which a pair of laser-projected figures walk, stand around and basically hang out. According to the Winter Lights organizers, "This piece is a reminder that being idle is a natural, human state of affairs, and important to our wellbeing. Utilising the construction tarpaulin of a new building as the canvas, Idle Time is here to remind Canary Wharf residents, workers, and visitors of the need for rest and relaxation."

(When I first arrived to see this piece it wasn't yet turned on because there were people in the building being renovated, and a Winter Lights guide told me they couldn't project the lasers until the building was vacant. "Health and safety," she explained. Fortunately when I came back later it was up and running.)

Below "Idle Time" you can see "Geist," by This is Loop. The web site says the artists "have been inspired by the elusive neutrino or 'ghost particle' and Geist explores the hunt that is played out in enormous neutrino detectors to prove the existence of these particles."

Because so many of the works involve sound and moving, pulsing, changing light, I also made a video. It's seven minutes long and shows these sculptures, in order:

1. Submergence, by Squidsoup
2. Kinetic Perspective, by Juan Fuentes
3. Geist, by This is Loop
4. Biophilia, by Frankie Boyle
5. Vessels, by Limbic Cinema
6. Marbles, by Gertjan Adema
7. Neuron, by Juan Fuentes, and then On the Wave of Light, by Those Guys Lighting
8. Sign, by Vendel & De Wolf
9. Idle Time, by Marcus Lyall

"Sign" is an interesting one, as it mimics fire. I also liked "Neuron" and "Kinetic Perspective" with their musical elements, and you'll see that the kids loved "Marbles," which involved a small sphere rising up through the middle of a larger one, to roll slowly down a spiral ramp around the outside and start again.

I've been to Winter Lights in past years when it's been both windy and freezing cold. This year the weather was mild and consequently there were lots more people around, but fortunately not so many that it was hard to see the art!