Light Night is set to return to Nottingham city centre again with over thirty immersive and interactive light installations, performances and activities. The much-loved, family-friendly event has seen parades take place throughout the city centre over the years.
The after-dark event will return 15th year on Friday, February 3 and Saturday. February 4 will see Market Square come alive with a large-scale light sculpture called Pulse that explores the perspective of audio-visual perception. The sculpture is a tightly synced and choreographed journey for all ages that features over 14,000 individually programmed LEDs around a twelve 4m diameter walk-through mirror rings
Another highlight is Evanescent which will be based at Sneinton Market. It is an immersive light and sound environment that captures the concept of transience in a visual form: the bubble. The artwork was inspired when the world stopped and everything we took for granted started to disappear.
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It was created by a Sydney-based design studio, Atelier Sisu who designed the piece which communicates this feeling and encourages people to live in the moment through the idea of the bubble.
Carrington Street will play host to The Nectary which will invite audience members to experience the 'hum of the earth' as it mimics pollinating insects underneath huge glowing flowers in a nod to the city's Green Heart Vision for the Broad Marsh re-development site.
Light Night is also known for its dance displays and this year is set to be no different. The Tom Dale Company and Inspire Youth Arts will return with Urban Explorer's Sub: Version. This will see youth dance groups join professional dancers to celebrate light, choreography and electronic music at Nottingham Contemporary.
Inspire Youth Arts will take over St. Mary's Church with its Re-Move installation to explore human displacement and the consequences of climate change.
On Saturday, City Art's community lantern parade will cut through the city centre with an installation of neon dogs complete with bones and dog poop on the appropriately chosen Hounds Gate no less.
There are many more events and installations across the city centre including Nottingham Trent University's Arkwright building and Bink's Yard. Other locations include the Robin Hood statue and Sussex Street but there will be a special commission at Lister Gate to remember Nottingham's beloved Xylophone Man.
The event is organised by Nottingham City Council along with Nottingham Business Improvement District (BID), which is the organisation behind, It's in Nottingham. It has been supported with funding from the National Lottery through Arts Council England.
There is a full program of events available online at the Light Night app which is available to download through the IoS App Store or Google Play. There will be a small number of printed guides available through the tourist information centre and key locations in the city centre.
Cllr Pavlos Kotsonis, the Portfolio Holder for Leisure, Culture and Planning at Nottingham City Council, said: “Now in its 15th year, I’m delighted that Nottingham’s Light Night will once again open-up spaces after dark and illuminate our city centre, with many free events and activities for everyone to enjoy, shining a light on Nottingham’s communities as we celebrate our diverse city.!
"Alongside the impressive audio-visual installations, you can watch stunning dance performances, listen to great music at Binks Yard and Trinity Square, or soak up Nottingham’s stories with a number of exhibitions across the city. It’s brilliant to see national and international artists from as far away as Australia presenting light-based art and installations alongside Nottingham’s local creatives.”
Alex Flint, Chief Executive Officer of Nottingham Business Improvement District (BID), the organisation behind It’s in Nottingham, and partner of Nottingham Light Night said: “Light Night offers unique, innovative experiences for the community and visitors to explore Nottingham's city centre at night.
"A lot of people and families enjoy the rich selection of businesses along the way, which is beneficial for our members. It's great to have such a stellar line-up of installations to reinforce Nottingham's creative reputation with a winter event that will kick off the new year right."
Event details:
PULSE
Old Market Square, Friday and Saturday 5pm - 10pm
A large-scale light sculpture exploring the perspectives of visual and auditory perception, offering a tightly synced and choreographed audio-visual journey for all ages.
Evanescent
Sneinton Market Square, Friday and Saturday 5pm - 10pm
An immersive light and sound environment that aims to capture the concept of ephemerality and transience in a visual form: the bubble. This art-chitecture connects audiences with their environment and is designed to be truly inclusive.
Neon Dogs
Hounds Gate, Friday and Saturday 5pm - 10pm
Inspired by balloon dogs at children’s parties, this joyful collection of neon dogs is sure to make people of all ages smile. These colourful canines come complete with their own bones and dog poo!
Urban Explorers: Sub:Version
Nottingham Contemporary, Friday and Saturday 6pm, 7pm and 8pm shows (25 mins each)
Urban Explorers is Tom Dale Company’s flagship annual dance project integrating professionals with youth dancers from across Nottinghamshire, working in partnership with Inspire Youth Arts. Pre-book your free tickets via the Nottingham Contemporary website. If there is capacity, walk-ups will be accepted on the night.
The Nectary
Carrington Street, Friday and Saturday 4.30pm - 10.30pm
The Nectary invites visitors to immerse themselves in nature and hear ‘the hum of the earth’ as they mimic a pollinating insect, visiting six huge glowing flowers handcrafted from recycled packaging materials.
Inspire Youth Arts: Re:Move
St Mary's Church, Friday and Saturday 6pm - 10pm
Inspire Youth Arts, working with visual artist Rebecca Smith and composer/sound designer CJ Mirra, have co-created this year's installation ‘Re-Move’ with young people across Nottinghamshire.
Light Night Lantern Parade
Starting at Lister Gate, Saturday 7pm - 7.45pm
City Arts presents a community lantern parade. Lovingly crafted by Nottingham residents and a range of local community groups, the beautiful, illuminated creations will cut a route through the city centre.
There will also be many more installations and activities across the city, featuring work by local artists and creatives. You can see a full list including times and locations on our Light Night App, which will be available to download before the event on the IoS App Store and Google Play.
