Connected by Light, a vibrant collection of inspiring light artworks, is set to captivate Londoners this December and January. Igniting the sky through vivid displays, this curation of artwork exudes warm glows, subtle hues and expressive colours – all beneath the setting of the Canary Wharf skyline.
Spanning 13 weeks, the collection of nine light artworks showcases the intricate work of UK artists, and affords visitors the opportunity for moments of calm and reflection. Lighting the path into the new year, Connected by Light provides the perfect opportunity for an evening of escapism.
The exhibit is complemented by a further eight light art pieces which are part of Canary Wharf’s public art collection. Over 75 pieces by 50 world-renowned artists are situated on the Estate, free to visitors all year round.
Careful steps have been taken to ensure that winter activities at Canary Wharf can be enjoyed in a Covid-secure manner, and Connected by Light is no different, with light works found glowing across the Estate’s parks, gardens, squares and open spaces. Ensuring visitors have plenty of opportunity to enjoy them, some installations can be viewed at any time of day, while others will come to life after dark. Visit after dusk to see the pieces at their mesmerising best.
Visitors can download the Connected by Light map from canarywharf.com ahead of their visit to see the locations of the artworks and create their own journey around the installations. Those in need of warming refreshments or some retail therapy, can visit one of Canary Wharf’s hundreds of shops, bars and restaurants open during their visit.
Canary Wharf’s annual Winter Lights festival, which attracts over 400,000 visitors each year, will look to return in the future. In the meantime, Connected by Light is set to spark Londoners’ winter evenings into life.
EVENT DETAILS:
Wednesday 2 December – Saturday 27 February
Dusk – 10pm daily
Throughout Canary Wharf
London
E14
FREE
Light installations
New light installations
- Telling a story across the paths of Jubilee Park, The Stories Under Our Feet, by Elisa Artesero, is a poetry experience like no other. Disappearing text falls from beneath the benches, clustering into poems that paint the path beneath. The words encourage visitors to contemplate and connect, as they wander through the collection of illuminated verses.
- The sky is the limit for Connected by Light, as part of Canary Wharf’s recognisable skyline is transformed into a beautiful beacon of light for the exhibition. Newfoundland, the newest residential addition on the Estate, hosts Hawthorn’s Newfoundland Reflections, a piece which is visible from the City. The 60-story tower is transformed into a glowing spectacle, reflecting onto the dark waters below.
- Neon Tree, also by Hawthorn, intertwines the forces of technology and nature, as bare branches from the natural structure are coiled with shining neon. Visit during the day to see its subtle glow or visit at night to witness the colours shine in all their glory.
- Splashing the paths of Westferry Circus, Tetra Park, by Mandylights, is an exploration of colour progression, displayed over the floor in geometric forms. At points, the shades seem to be working in collaboration, before merging into an unruly mix of captivating chaos.
- Also featuring from Mandylights is Colour Cubed – a single light source that creates a kaleidoscopic display of energetic light, through an innovative coloured glass technique. The artwork envelopes the senses of those who view it and inspires a creativity and joyousness fit to lighten the darkest of evenings.
- With 2020 defined by working from home, Office Party, by Parker Heyl, plays with fantasy and imagination to create a workspace coming to life in the absence of its workers. Flickering blinds, partnered with office like structures adapting to the needs of its inhabitants, create a playful picture of a living, breathing workspace.
- Artistic duo, Baker & Borowski, apply their own personal spin to Lewis Carroll’s iconic Alice in Wonderland, to create Curious Fluorious. The impressive sculpture-like pieces dominate the space with an enchanting glow, creating a selfie-perfect backdrop for visitors who visit the installation.
- Elsewhere, Squidsoup returns to the Estate to decorate Montgomery Square with Murmuration. Several hundred luminous orbs dance in a synergy of light and sound, all connected through a channel of data that pass through this shimmering network. Named after the captivating flight patterns of a group of starlings, the artwork’s lights, and trance-like sounds, navigate through the orbs and the space of the iconic Square.
- Bringing the past into the present, Ghost Trees, from Tom Wilkinson reimagines an extraordinary historic event that was discovered during the construction of the East India Docks in 1970. Evidence shows that remains of a great subterranean forest laid here before its construction, but curiously the trees showed signs of being swept southward by a great force of unexplained nature. The rings across the surface represent where these mysterious trees would have originally lived under the docks.
The full list of new and existing light installations can be viewed below.
- Elisa Artesero: The Stories Under Our Feet, UK – A poetry trail across Jubilee Park is created by shadows of text delivered from underneath the benches.
- Hawthorn: Newfound Reflections, UK – The 60-story Newfoundland tower is reimagined into a colourful spectacle of light, beautifully reflected on the waters below
- Hawthorn: Neon Tree, UK – A stunning neon sculpture in the heart of Canada Square Park
- Mandylights: Tetra Park, UK / Australia – Tetra Park is a geometric artwork at Westferry Circus that explores colour progressions through a complicated series of linear pathways
- Mandylights: Colour Cubed, UK / Australia – The artwork uses a single traditional lamp along with long-used coloured glass techniques to cast a display of coloured light just as brilliant, dominant and inspiring as any other artwork or object in our lives.
- Parker Heyl: Office Party, UK / Australia – Office Party at 20 Water Street comes from the idea that our workspaces may come to life in our absence. Think magical moving blinds alongside responsive and kinetic structures
- Produce UK – Baker & Borowski: Curious Fluorious, UK – Artists Baker & Borowski are turning Lewis Caroll’s much-loved Alice in Wonderland into a magical fluoro installation for the modern day – ‘Curious Flourious’. The piece showcases giant sculptural pieces that reimagine the area with a mesmerizing glow.
- Squidsoup: Murmuration, UK – Several hundred networked orbs, each containing lights and a speaker, create an awe-inspiring swarm of networked data moving through real space in Montgomery Square
- Tom Wilkinson: Ghost Trees, UK – A visualization of a mysterious part of history at Middle Dock. The circular beacons of light represent the forest that laid there, many years ago
- Julius Popp: bit.fall, Germany – An ever-changing cascade of words sourced from the live newsfeed of thetimes.co.uk.
- Michael Rovner: Transitions, Israel – The 16-metre-long screen-based artwork addresses themes of humanity, history and time. The video artwork references the striking architecture of London and captures the lively character of the new Canary Wharf Elizabeth line station
- Bill Culbert: Coupe De Foudre II, New Zealand – This neon light sculpture consists of lines of coloured light that flows seamlessly through the inside and outside of the building, creating the illusion of one continuous piece
- Ottotto: The Clew, Portugal – The Clew is devised of 100 circles of red light to curate a stunning structure around the Cubitt Steps Bridge
- Martin Richman : We Could Meet, UK – We Could Meet sees a collection of over 500 illuminated acrylic rods installed in the water pathways of Crossrail Place. Visible from above, it is programmed so that it changes colour and frequency throughout the day and evening
- Paul Handforth: Time & Tide, UK – With its hourglass design and colours inspired by nature, this artwork looks to remind viewers of the importance in halting plastic pollution in our oceans
- Camille Walala: Captivated by Colour, France – Adams Plaza Bridge is reimagined with a wrap of geometric patterns that morph as one moves through the tunnel
- LBO Lichtbank: Light Benches, Germany – 10 stunning light benches, which are part of the permanent art collection
ENDS
For further information, please contact:
Press Office
Canary Wharf Group plc
T: 020 7418 2166
E: pressoffice@canarywharf.com
Notes to Editors
About Canary Wharf Group
Canary Wharf Group has overseen the largest urban regeneration project in Europe and is a fully integrated private real estate company that develops, manages and currently owns interests in approximately 7.7 million square feet of office space, 0.9 million square feet of retail and 327 completed Build to Rent units.
The company’s current £3.8 billion development pipeline is composed of 1.0 million square feet of office/retail properties, and over 3,500 new homes: for sale, for rent, intermediate and affordable. It currently has 2.7 million square feet under construction today, and 2.5 million square feet in planning, with a further planning opportunity for North Quay of 3.8 million square feet for mixed use development.
Canary Wharf Group is an industry leader in sustainability including purchasing 100% renewable electricity for the Estate since 2012 and zero waste going to landfill from the managed Estate since 2009.
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