Lumiere London

The Light Programme

London knows that the winter season can be dark and dreary. There’s nothing to do in January after New Years. Valentine’s Day is a month away, and even then for many it’s not a holiday to celebrate. So how do you lighten the spirits of those mulling through such a slow, cold month? You put on a lights festival of course! Lumiere London is a fantastic city-wide effort to beat the winter-blues and celebrate the combination of art and light. Spread throughout the city the festival will take you on a walk through art installations that range from small neon signs to entire building fronts lit up through the night.

At least, that’s what it was like when I went in January. I, being the dedicated little bee that I was, wanted to take photos of every single art installation. We mapped them out, and even then we had to split up the walk between two evenings (the sheer number of installations and the distance between clusters was the cause). I didn’t even end up taking pictures of them all, despite how hard I tried.

I saw ghostly dresses made of fish wire glow against darkness. I saw a stick figure dance routine against the side of a building, and then saw it again because it was so fascinating. I saw a projected elephant stomp in the sky, and funny neon figurines huddle behind glass walls. Each installation was so much fun, and beautiful. A festival of lights is exactly what January needs to get you through the darkest of months.

Cassandra Kosmayer

TripTide User