Art & Design

Lumiere

A spectacular celebration of light

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For four nights only, UK and international artists worked with light to transform Durham’s historic landmarks, city streets, gardens and riverways into a breathtaking nocturnal landscape of magical happenings. Lumiere, the second project in the Sky Arts Artichoke Season, set the town ablaze in November 2009 using the townscape as a canvas for stunning light, sight and sound installations.

As the mist rose from the river and the streets darkened, over 75,000 people took to the streets to see one of the biggest light shows in England. The highlight for many was the transformation of the exterior of Durham Cathedral into a phenomenal mix of lighting, slow moving projection and sound. Eery swinging pendulums inside the cathedral and neon creations of drawings by Durham prisoners were displayed in the gardens. Also on show were a stunning shining dress lit up in the otherwise desolate window and a pink neon ladder reaching into the sky, seen through a gridded gate. Have a look at the image gallery above for all the stunning sights of the festival!

The event organisers Artichoke have announced that Lumiere will become a biennial event in Durham after the spectacular success of the first festival. The next festival will take place in 2011.

If you missed out on the first event – don’t worry. Sky Arts went behind the scenes at the festival to shoot 10 short films about the artists and a 30 minute documentary.