Winter Lights 2019 Set to Brighten the January Evening Skies at Canary Wharf – 18.12.18

Step out of the darkness and into Canary Wharf this January, as evenings are set to be ignited through the language of light and technology with the return of the Winter Lights festival. Expect luminescent hopscotch, 25 metre projections of marching elephants and rhinos and 24,000 individual suspended lights the fifth iteration of the festival is set to dazzle, enchant and amaze.

Opening free to the public on Tuesday 15th January and running until Saturday 26th January, Winter Lights will bring an eclectic mix of both fresh and returning artworks, installations and experiences to Canary Wharf.

In response to this year’s theme of sustainability and waste reduction, many of the pieces displayed have been crafted using recycled and sustainable materials. Others also portray strong messages about recycling and climate change.

New This Year

A newly commissioned piece Light, Stone, Pavement will allow visitors to unleash their inner child as they jump into a game of hopscotch. The chalk is replaced by a glowing outline of electric luminescent ribbon triggered by the player’s progression throughout the game. While Squidsoup’s walkthrough experience Submergence will be the largest ever version of their artwork shown, made up of 24,000 individual points of suspended lights.

Also making its UK debut at Canary Wharf is Whale Ghost from French creative studio Pitaya. This 18 metre, monumental silhouette of the whale encourages visitors to think about the effect of humans on our biodiversity.

Newcomer Time & Tide, is created by Paul & Pute draws attention to halting pollution of the ocean with plastics, highlighting the limited time left to repair the plastic problem before damage to the planet is irreversible.

Be drawn to the unmissable fifty pivoting prisms at Jubilee Plaza that make up RAW Design’s Prismatica. Acting as enormous kaleidoscopes, audiences are shown mesmerising displays of City life as dancing colours reach a crescendo after sunset. Walk among this modern ice palace as this Canadian-born piece projects every colour of the spectrum.

New this year is Floating Islands by Mürüde Mehmet. Made from plastic bottles by children of Tower Hamlets and painted in fluorescent colours, these vibrant floating islands show the waste created by plastic as the sculptures drift down streams in Jubilee Park. Elsewhere, Recyclism by Art of OK evokes a deep underlying message of showing the world how to transform our waste into beautiful and useful objects.

Visual Arts curator of Canary Wharf Group plc, Keith Watson comments: “To mark the fifth year of the Winter Lights festival at Canary Wharf, we wanted to capture the atmosphere of the nation in moving towards a more sustainable future and have collated artworks which are profound in their creation and appearance.

By incorporating themes around the relationship between everyday materials and the environment, we want to continue pushing the conversation about waste across all generations through inspiring artworks which are accessible to all. The pieces on show are by some of the world’s most renowned artists and should be an unforgettable experience and education for everyone who attends throughout January.”

Returning Favourites

Returning to Winter Lights is the perennial favourite bit.fall by Julius Popp. Using sophisticated water-valve technology, a series of illuminated droplets fall from the air to form words, with each sourced from the live newsfeed of www.thetimes.co.uk.

Vibrant Eats

Throughout the Winter Lights tour, visitors will also find a variety of unique food trucks serving up delicious dishes and hot drinks.

Nazari: Combining the best of Mediterranean and Middle Eastern foods, Nazari brings the flavour to flatbread wraps and falafel

Pulled: Fueling visitors with a meaty meal, Pulled offer up the best in roasted meats and killer coleslaw

The Rolling Dough: The Rolling Dough provides the most amazing freshly baked pizzas, ready in 60 seconds from their wood-fired oven

Grate Rostis: Grate Rostis create something new out of a classic, with a variety of toppings and flavours for the Swiss potato dish

The Duck Truck: For those feeling fancy, try out The Duck Truck, who serve up duck like nowhere else

Waffle On: For a sweet treat after your meal or a snack to keep you fuelled along the way, visit Waffle On for some warming waffles.

ENDS

For further information, please contact:

Press Office
Canary Wharf Group plc
T: 020 7418 2166
E: pressoffice@canarywharf.com