Captivating exhibition of outdoor artworks celebrating natural light is set to brighten our calendars this summer
Canary Wharf is set to transform into a prism of light this summer, as it welcomes new dynamic artworks onto the Estate for the launch of Summer Lights. Following the huge success of Canary Wharf’s Winter Lights and Connected by Light festivals, held during the year’s darkest months, Canary Wharf is now bringing Summer Lights to the Estate, for the first time, in an all outdoor, free to visit, summer exhibition.
Exploding into life from sunrise, the collection of entrancing installations will use a combination of the sun and colour spectrums to project and celebrate light in its most natural form. While creating a world of intricate patterns and reflections which are visually dazzling, the installations also shine a light on a number of important messages. From sustainability, plastic pollution and energy consumption, to LGBTQIA+ and equality; these important themes are all highlighted through the language of light.
Among the line-up of vibrant works is Ocean Rise by artist Aphra Shemza. Built using sustainable materials, the shape of the piece emulates a wave in the ocean and is accompanied by a bespoke soundscape that visitors can access through a QR code. Another highlight includes Whirl by Helena Doyle X Tom Cherry & Temple, which transforms the wind into a dynamic dance of colour and light. Sitting beneath the domed structure, the audience can enjoy the mesmerising light show overhead.
Open for eight weeks from June until mid-August, this unique festival will host 11 artworks created by some of the UK’s leading light artists. Positioned across the Canary Wharf estate, in prime outdoor locations, visitors are encouraged to soak up the sun and explore each of the works at their own leisure.
Visitors should download the Summer Lights map from www.canarywharf.com to navigate their own journey around the installations or download the Summer Lights podcast to hear about the inspiration behind each piece. Visitors in need of a break between exploring the artworks can enjoy an array of refreshments at any of Canary Wharf’s hundreds of bars and restaurants.
The selected artworks are the latest additions to the Estate’s public art collection, which is the UK’s largest collection of free to visit public art. More than 75 permanent works by over 50 world-renowned artists and craftsmen are on display across the Estate.
Summer Lights forms part of Canary Wharf’s wider summer events programme, which runs until September.
Lucie Moore, Group Arts+Events Manager, Canary Wharf Group, comments: “We are so excited to launch Summer Lights – an exhibition like no other in the Capital. We’ve been the pioneer of award-winning light festivals during the winter months, so to put a new twist on the theme of summer is only natural. The artists involved are phenomenally talented and the innovation in their pieces to display light during the brightest months is something truly special.
After a difficult year, we hope this will be a summer highlight for people to visit. Canary Wharf is a 24/7 sustainable destination for people to work, live and play; there’s something for everyone to experience on the Estate.”
Canary Wharf is committed to keeping the malls and wider Estate Covid secure. COVID-19 safety measures, such as one-way systems and floor markings, as well as increased cleaning, and hand sanitisers at all entrance points, remain in place throughout.
EVENT DETAILS:
Monday 21 June – Saturday 21 August
Open daily, best viewed sunrise to sunset
FREE
Throughout Canary Wharf
Canary Wharf
London
E14
For further information, please contact:
Press Office
Canary Wharf Group plc
T: 020 7418 2166
E: pressoffice@canarywharf.com
ENDS
Notes to Editors
The full list of new and existing light installations can be viewed in the table below.
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Artists
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Title
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Location
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Description
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toyStudio
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Circle of Light [Spectrum]
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Cabot Square
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The colours of the spectrum are mapped out in relation to the sun’s path. From dawn to dusk, the reach of the coloured shadows move depending on the angle of the sun.
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Liz West
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Hymn to the Big Wheel
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Wren Landing
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Consisting of a multicoloured octagon nestled within a larger octagonal shape, viewers will see a changing scope of colours as they move around the piece.
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Helena Doyle X Tom Cherry & Temple
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Whirl
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Cubitt Steps
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Transforming the wind into a dynamic dance of colour and light, the audience is invited to sit beneath the domed structure and enjoy the mesmerising light show overhead.
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Amberlights
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Out of the Cocoon
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Wood Wharf
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A colourful, interactive seating installation that can be admired both from up close and afar. As visitors walk around the structure, they will see how the colours change before their eyes.
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toyStudio
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Kilpi
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Wood Wharf
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Based on celestial maps and representing the constellations found in the skies above Canary Wharf, the perforations create ever-changing shadows.
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Martin Richman
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Round and Round
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Jubilee Park
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This piece creates a lively space full of reflecting and refracting shapes and colours via turning circles, bringing the Jubilee Park ponds to life.
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Tine Bech Studio
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Summer Cloud
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Cabot Square
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This reflective cloud will transport visitors – allowing them to see themselves and others in the iconic Canary Wharf buildings.
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Tine Bech Studio
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Shine your Colours
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Riverside
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Six transparent coloured glass panels create a space focusing on wellbeing and invites people to take playful photos of themselves and friends.
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Aphra Shemza
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Ocean Rise
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Riverside
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Built using sustainable material, the shape of the artwork emulates a wave in the ocean and is accompanied by a bespoke soundscape featuring field recordings of waves crashing on the shore – all accessed via a QR code.
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Hugh Turvey
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Hidden Garden
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Crossrail Place Roof Garden
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A scientific representation of flora, using the medium of x-ray imaging to highlight the hidden architectural structures within the subjects. The blown-up images are themed around sustainability, habitat, pollinators and medicine.
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Fiona Grady
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Kaleidoscopic Prisms
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Jubilee Place Atrium
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Inspired by the energetic colours of the Pride flag, the piece depicts London as an inclusive city. Visitors will find themselves walking through the kaleidoscope as the sun shines through.
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About Canary Wharf Group:
Canary Wharf Group (CWG) is the developer of the largest urban regeneration project in Europe. CWG develops, manages and currently owns interests in approximately 7.5 million square feet of office space, 0.9 million square feet of retail and over 1,000 Build to Rent apartments.
CWG is the largest sustainable developer in the UK with over 11 million square feet of sustainable certified buildings. CWG also excels operationally having purchased 100% electricity from renewable sources since 2012 and zero waste to landfill since 2009.
CWG has created a 24/7 city where people can live/work/play on the Canary Wharf estate and enjoy all the benefits: great transport links, access to green spaces and waterside living; and a wide range of amenities including an award-winning arts and events programme.
Canary Wharf’s retail offering comprises over 300 shops, including grocery stores, pharmacies, health clubs, bars and restaurants, all within 15 minutes’ walk.
www.canarywharf.com
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