This month, Lumiere, the UK's Light Art Biennial, is set to illuminate Durham in its grandest display yet.
The festival promises four enchanting nights in November, turning our medieval city into a nocturnal art wonderland adorned with captivating light installations on streets, bridges, buildings, and the river.
Led by world-renowned artists Ai Weiwei and Rafael Lozano-Hemmer, the programme boasts more than 40 dazzling installations.
This includes 16 new commissions and seven UK debuts, showcasing the talent of local North East artists, schools, communities, and global artists at the forefront of the light art movement.
These mesmerising installations will grace iconic locations across the city including the bustling Market Place, Durham Cathedral’s UNESCO World Heritage site and the prestigious Durham University campus.
And the best news is that Lumiere is entirely free for everyone to attend.
Cultural and economic impact
Lumiere is produced by Artichoke, and commissioned and funded by Durham County Council, which is committed to culture-led regeneration and cementing the city's position as the 'culture county'.
Alison Clark, Assistant Director of Culture Sport & Tourism at Durham County Council, said: "This year, we've focused on both the cultural and economic impacts.
"We've got more international artists than ever before, we're supporting various artist networks to come and learn from us, we've got the AGM of the International Light Organisation which represents light festivals globally, and we've got 17 light festival producers coming to observe our operations.
"All this cultural activity means it's also a fantastic time for our hotels and shops and restaurants.
"They're sure to be bustling with thousands of tourists and visitors, as well as ex-pats choosing to visit friends and family during the weekend.
"In fact, the festival is expected to bring around 200,000 people to the city this year, so we're looking forward to an incredibly vibrant four days."
World-class festival
Initially conceived as a one-off event, Lumiere made its debut back in 2009, attracting some 75,000 visitors to marvel at the 22 light installations scattered throughout the city.
Now, some 15 years later, Lumiere has evolved into a worldwide showcase, establishing itself as the UK's Light Art Biennial.
Alison said: "Over the period of the festivals since 2009, we have had over a million visitors and brought £37m into Durham.
"It puts the city and the county on the map as a world-class festival in the North East. It's one of the things that makes the region well-known.
"It also serves as a calling card to the rest of the world, showing that the North East is really serious about providing top-notch culture for its residents and attracting visitors from all over the world."
Transformed as if by magic
Lumiere's biennial nature allows for meticulous planning, creative collaboration with artists, and the selection of ideal installation locations.
Alison said: "The city has changed immensely since 2009. Together with our partners at Artichoke, we continually search for new or hidden parts of the city that we want to showcase through our artwork.
"Our aim is to make Durham appear to be transformed as if by magic, and visitors will notice little of the immense infrastructure needed to make it happen.
"Of course, staging a light art event of this complexity is a monumental task involving a huge team of producers, technicians, engineers, artists, volunteers and participants, not to mention a large amount of specialist kit.
"We also need to ensure we have those breathtaking showstoppers right in the heart of Durham, often placed within the cathedral or along the river."
Internationally acclaimed artists
Indeed, a highlight of Lumiere has always been the artistic interaction with Durham Cathedral and this year will see its most spectacular transformation yet.
Within the building, two internationally acclaimed artists will exhibit UK premieres.
Montréal-based Mexican artist Rafael Lozano-Hemmer’s colossal immersive work Pulse Topology (2021) will transform the cathedral nave.
Shown at Superblue Basel and Miami, this site-specific edition will see thousands of light bulbs, activated by the recorded heartbeat of visitors, create a connective array of glimmering lights.
On display in the cathedral’s 11th-century Chapter House will be Ai Weiwei’s Illuminated Bottle Rack (2018).
The Chinese artist's monumental work comprises 61 antique chandeliers which use an enormous, upside-down bottle rack as its chandelier branches.
Alison said: "The cathedral installations are going to be absolutely incredible. I guarantee that you'll want to revisit it again and again.
"To put it simply, you wouldn't be able to see this kind of work normally unless you went to a gallery in London or Barcelona.
"We're essentially bringing the art gallery to the people."
Find out more
Lumiere runs from Thursday, November 16 to Sunday, November 19, with free admission for everyone from 4.30pm to 11pm each night. Free peak time tickets are required in order to access some areas of the city between 4.30pm- and 7.30pm. You can enjoy the festival without a ticket after this time. For further information about the artists and venues involved, see www.lumiere-festival.com
