Leeds Light Night 2016

I visited Leeds on the evening of Friday 7th October for Light Night 2016, the second night of a free annual multi-arts event. The event - which essentially encompassed light, art and music installations and performances - was spread across the city but particularly focussed on landmark buildings and areas like the Town Hall or Albert Dock. The light installations were often interactive or on such a large scale that they captured the attention and imagination of the large crowds. To me, the tagline of the event, 'as darkness falls, come and see the city in a new light' signifies themes of rejuvenation and changed perception. 

The event itself also explored a variety of interesting themes and current issues which I feel are making headway not only within the art scene but also the general social attitudes of the public. Below is a description of some of the installations/events which I found particularly interesting and highlighted a significant awareness of our social responsibility towards the environment:

• Cycling in the city: This was a 'Boris bike' facility which allowed the public to cycle around the city in bikes lit up with LED lights and glow-sticks. Having visited a number of European cities this summer, I took notice of the encouragement for its citizens to cycle and take a personal responsibility to protect the planet in the process.
• The elements: The overriding theme of the event was of fire, wind, earth and water and I feel that this is also suggestive of Leeds City Council's urge for the public to be aware of their responsibility to the environment. The theme was obvious in some of the installations more than others (like a collection of beautifully carved and designed ice sculptures which were left to melt) but overall I still took away a clear message.

• A sensory experience: The Falls was a light installation projected onto Queens Hotel of a waterfall which scoped the size of the entire building. What I liked about this installation was that rather than the light being the central aspect, sound was the key sense over sight as white noise of water and nature played loudly over the entire square.

• Innovative technology: Innovation and advancements were a recurrence over the night as many of the installations used technology which I had never come across before. My favourite installation of the evening was 'Waterlight Graffiti' which was an interactive wall, open to all the public, which lit up under touch of water. This installation was created by artist Antonin Fourneau as a solution to environmentally damaging graffiti with water and water-sensitive materials being an alternative to chemicals and aerosols. 

• Recycled materials: Two of my other favourite installations of the evening combined art with recycled materials and gave a clear message about the importance of sustainability. 'The Indestructible Reef' by artist Alison M Smith, created from plastic manipulated into reef-like shapes, is said to 'illustrate the effects waste plastics have on our oceans'. 'Giant Dandelions', a forest full of tall dandelion-like sculptures, was created with collected plastic bottles as a reference to our 'consumerist and polluting society'. I was able to touch the dandelions and view them up-close without restriction which to me, suggested a connection between the public and their surroundings.

Topshop's latest collection of their Reclaim to Wear range was released this week. Reclaim to Wear is a collaborative collection of garments made up of spare materials with the aim of minimising wastage, protecting the environment and experimenting with an interesting design challenge. The range has been running for a number of years now but I wasn't aware of it until now which perhaps suggests the consumers' lack of interest in it as an interesting paradox to the argument raised at Leeds Light Night which shows how we as consumers can be immersed in the issue.