The Light Fantastic

It’s not street art as we would normally look at but it is art on the streets. And in parks, and in Trafalgar Square, and it is fun. Lumiere London launched this evening and runs for the next 3 nights to Sunday night.

Les Limineoles by Porte par le vent
Les Limineoles by Porte par le vent

“Les Lumineoles” by Porte par le vent literally did dance in the breeze weaving a dreamy tapestry of colour.

Les Limineoles by Porte par le vent
Les Limineoles by Porte par le vent

I got around just over a half of the installations and loved them all.   Crowdstopper and road blocker of the lot is on the façade of 218 – 222 Regents street where Keyframes, a matrix of animated light stick figures by Groupe LAPS dance and cavort over the building to a bleeping symphony of computer game musical sound effects, quite mesmerising and the conclusion of the cycle drew a deserved round of applause from the 100s gathered to watch.

 

“Plastic Islands” by Luzinterruptus brought to mind the thought “this represents exactly what Gorillaz were signing about in “Plastic Beach”

Plastic Islands, Luz Interruptus
Plastic Islands, Luz Interruptus
Garden Of Lights, Leicester Sq by TILT
Garden Of Lights, Leicester Sq by TILT
Garden Of Lights, Leicester Sq by TILT
Garden Of Lights, Leicester Sq by TILT
Garden Of Lights, Leicester Sq by TILT
Garden Of Lights, Leicester Sq by TILT

You can’t go wrong with goldfish.

Aquarium by Benedetto Bufalino & Benoit Deseille
Aquarium by Benedetto Bufalino & Benoit Deseille
Lightbench by Bernd Spiecker for LBO LichtBankObjekte
Lightbench by Bernd Spiecker for LBO LichtBankObjekte
Sanctuary by Sarah Blood
Sanctuary by Sarah Blood

The lights which have illuminated to top of the landmark office block Centre Point towering over Tottenham Court Rd tube station have been relocated to Trafalgar Square, a far more appropriate location since this is historically where all distances from London have been measured.

Centre Point at the National Portrait Gallery
Centre Point at the National Portrait Gallery
Brothers and Sisters by Ron Haselden
Brothers and Sisters by Ron Haselden
Trafalgar Sq
Trafalgar Sq
Lightbench by Bernd Spiecker for LBO LichtBankObjekte
Lightbench by Bernd Spiecker for LBO LichtBankObjekte

I have a soft spot for Julian Opie’s Shaida Walking as an edition version of Suzanne Walking adorns our wall at home, his “RUth Walking In Jeans” has been illuminating Regents Place in Euston for years but sadly is often static or malfunctioning.

Shaida Walking by Julian Opie
Shaida Walking by Julian Opie
Elephantastic by Top'la Design/Catherine garrett
Elephantastic by Top’la Design/Catherine Garrett

“Light Graffiti” by Floating Pictures at Kings Cross is described as technology which converts a moving source of light into lights projected onto a building, I will reserve judgement on the appropriate use of the word graffiti until it proven that it is possible to paint comedy male anatomy. Await updates.

For more information, check the event website at http://www.lumiere-festival.com/ or http://www.visitlondon.com/lumiere/programme#ref=nav

All photos: Dave Stuart/NoLionsInEngland