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!
28 comments:
Good use of longer nights. I like light art exhibitions.
Idle time is good..but the lines are far from static!
I like "sign" and think the lights are a pretty thing for the city to do.
A brilliant show. I would love to be there for that. But your photos are excellent. Great job with the video. I loved it. Mesmerizing.
GZ: No, not static at all. They move all the time (and I've amended the post to make clear that they walk).
River: It's a great boost in the dark of winter!
Mitchell: Glad you liked the video! I was afraid it would seem too long, but I wanted to give adequate time to each piece.
The widespread urge to take selfies everywhere you go is quite puzzling to me.
Let me rephrase that - The widespread urge to take selfies everywhere people go is quite puzzling to me.
What a great show; I personally, for some reason, liked The Clew.
And the video gives a much better idea of what it's like seeing the lights move and change.
This looks like a really fun evening out. I'm glad the weather was good. The video is nice -- really brings it into focus. I like those dangling lights, too. The music seems to really work with this -- those rings at the beginning are fun too with all the color changes. Thanks for making the video! Sign was a little creepy but mesmerizing and beautiful.
Looks like a cool visual experience!
I think it must be some buried primeval instinct that attracts us to light, much like a moth. I'm not sure I've ever seen a display of lights that I haven't at least paid attention to for a few more seconds than I normally would.
I forget sometimes that people do things like this- create art with lights and music where people can walk around and ooh and aah and take it all in. I did love how the children got so excited over "marbles". Great video, Steve. You did a good job of helping us to see everything from such a great vantage point.
I think that "sign" may have been my favorite.
I'll have to watch the video later when I'm not at work. It will come to no surprise to anyone that Idle Time is my favorite :)
What fun, Steve! Glad you went and took such a great video to share with us.
The video really helped to capture what you were describing. I would love to see something like that!
What a great video. It makes me wish I was there to experience it in person. That one that looks like fire was impressive and I loved Idle Time and those musical circles. They are all unique in their own way.
I really enjoyed your video. I think Submergence might be a bit of a sensory overload for me. Hard to pick favorites since I'm drawn to many of them. Maybe Marbles, Neuron, and Sign. The music is a good addition to the exhibit.
Wow. Thanks for sharing this. I also liked the bright full moon you managed to include!
I've never been to one nor even heard of one. Spectacular. (Les Oiseaux) I know it has too many vowels in it and most of them are silent.
They can do some amazing things with lights.
Glad the weather was cooperating! a rare good weather night to be out and about. The lights and sculptures are magnificent, your video is great! The doodle folks are my fave!Great that you went out, took photos and a video. we are grateful!
The light show sounds fantastic. Your video is great and gives a nice view of the structures and lights. The only light show I have seen was in Brussels, Belgium where classical music played and lights of many colors flashed to the beat of the music against tall building exteriors in the city center. It attracted many people and was lots of fun too.
This seems to be a modern take on the son et lumiere exhibits they used to do decades ago in France, usually at old castles, very atmospheric. It's a great idea. Thanks for the pictures.
I watched the clip yesterday, Thursday, when it popped up and it was marvellous. I've never seen such a lighting display. Thanks for showing us.
I am glad to hear that you are getting out and about to see things going on in London while you live here.
I enjoyed watching the video. This was a very cool exhibition. I love watching the children enjoying it.
no time to read on Thursdays so I'm glad I back tracked. I would have been sorry to miss this. thanks for the video. these installations are very cool. did Dave not go with you?
YP: Yeah, I don't get the selfie thing either. I take them occasionally but I'd much rather just have a picture of a place or event, without me in it!
Bob: "The Clew" was cool, that bright color and the fact that we could walk through it!
Jeanie: Yeah, I really liked the pieces (both by Juan Fuentes of Spain) that tied the music and the lights together.
Dov: It was great, and it was free!
Ed: Especially at this dark time of year, I think we gravitate to light.
Ms Moon: I knew you'd like "Marbles," with those kids getting so amped up!
Bug: There's nothing wrong with idle time, which is the message of the piece! So be proud of any tendency you may have toward idleness. :)
Ellen D: Glad you liked it!
Michael: Yeah, you pretty much need video to capture the pieces because so many of them having moving components or sound, or are interactive.
Sharon: Yes, the fire one ("Sign") was amazing, wasn't it?
Kelly: I liked those three too, as well as "Kinetic Perspective" and "Vessels."
Sabine: Yeah, when I saw the moon up there I had to sweep upward to get it in the frame! Nature's own "Winter Lights."
Margaret: Ha! I even checked the spelling before I posted and I STILL screwed it up! (Fixed now)
Red: They really can, especially when they tie in sound!
Linda Sue: I always like this event and I'm surprised I haven't seen it since the Pandemic. It doesn't seem like that long ago I was there last. They probably didn't even have it for a couple of years there.
Susan: Oh, that's a cool idea. It reminds me of that fountain in Las Vegas that "performs" in concert with music. (I've never seen it in real life.)
Boud: What else are we going to do at such a dark time of year?! LOL
Andrew: Glad you liked it! :)
Rachel: I get out and about a fair amount, actually, though not as much since the pandemic. You say "while" we live here like it's temporary but I don't think we're going anywhere anytime soon. At least not as long as His Majesty tolerates us. :)
Debby: Yes, watching people (including but not exclusively the kids) interact with the lights was part of the fun!
Ellen: Glad you liked it! No, Dave was content to go home and stay in his recliner with the dog. :)
Oh my goodness. I would have adored walking through this light show. Thank you for sharing it with us. The video was awesome. I particularly loved the fire installation. Mesmerizing.
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