One of the displays of the current Lumiere Festival being held in Derry is to become a permanent feature in the city, Culture Minister Carál Ní Chuilín has revealed.
Deputy First Minister was one of the many in Derry last night to view the Lumiere. Photo: Lorcan Doherty Photography.
Tens of thousands of visitors are expected to travel to the city for the event which got under way last night.
Over the next three nights, local and international artists, community groups and lighting designers will illuminate the city’s walls, buildings and streets from 5.30pm to 10.00pm each night.
Produced by leading arts company Artichoke, the event attracted over 175,000 visitors when held in Durham in England earlier this month.
The major outdoor festival features 17 spectacular light sculptures and installations at outdoor spaces, buildings, landmarks and walkways from the Bogside to the Fountain and beyond.
Miss Ní Chuilín, said the event was putting the North and, in particular, Derry “in the spotlight.”
Last week, the Minister announced legacy plans for Derry’s City of Culture year would include plans for a Department of Culture Arts and Leisure (DCAL) office to build of the “successes of this year.”
And she revealed a Lumiere display was to become a permanent feature in the city as part of that legacy.
She said: “Some of Derry’s iconic landmarks such as Rosemount Shirt Factory, Austins Department Store and the Gasyard Centre will be transformed over the next days.
“As part of the legacy, I have allocated £50,000 to have a permanent illuminated sign that will shine in the heart of the community from the Rosemount shirt factory.”
Lumiere highlights include:
:: Digital mapping studio Novak transforming Austins Department Store with a 3D projection inspired by the tales of Jules Verne.
:: “A teenage dream’s so hard to beat,” a lyric by The Undertones, featuring on the BT building at Queens Quay.
:: Tim Etchells showcasing a 23-metre long neon feature on the Rosemount shirt factory.
:: Illuminated sculptures in human form, created by French sculptor Cédric Le Borgne, flying around the Peace Bridge.
:: Twice Upon a Time: 120 local primary school children worked together to design a spectacular new look for the clocktower building at Ebrington.
:: Fire Garden (Friday and Saturday only, 6.30pm – 9.30pm): Watch the garden grow as thousands of burning lanterns, simmering braziers and extraordinary fire sculptures flame into life and gradually die away again.
Teenage Kicks is by local artist Deepa Mann-Kler, inspired by the Undertones’ greatest hit
The 30m-long neon sign will adorn principal City of Culture partner BT’s building and will be visible across the city.
Novak’s ‘Voyage’ is a stunning audio visual projection which will tell a delightful and colourful tale of time travel, using the world’s oldest independent department store Austins as a canvas.
Compagnie Carabosse’s Fire in the Garden features breathtaking glowing spheres, thousands of illuminated lanterns, simmering braziers and extraordinary sculptures, made from metal and flame which will blaze into life and transform St Columb’s into a magical fire garden.
One hundred and twenty local children from eight city schools worked with Portuguese artists Ocubo to make Twice Upon A Time. To be shown on the clock tower building at Ebrington Square, the animation will feature film of the children at work as they dream up an imaginary world
As well as the 16 permanent installations dotted around the city one will move around the city centre.
Public Projection is a new commission for Lumiere by renowned Polish artist, Krzysztof Wodiczko.
The artist, who is based at Harvard University in the US, talked to a citywide cross-section of people to record their stories, which reflect on past conflict and shared hopes for the future.
Those interviewed include serving and ex-police officers, those accused of offences from both sides of the political divide, victims of the Troubles, and young people, growing up in the aftermath of the conflict.
Their voices will be broadcast from a converted ambulance and their words projected onto buildings in several locations, as the vehicle moves around the city.
