24/08/2009

A breathtaking collection of light and sound installations will transform York after dark, as the Illuminating York art festival returns to colour the city's historic landmarks this October.  Supported by Visit York, Welcome to Yorkshire, The Arts Council and City of York Council, Illuminating York has established itself as a flagship event in Yorkshire's festival calendar.   

The eclectic mix of light art installations will use the façades of ancient structures around the city as canvasses; creating huge masterpieces for visitors and residents to enjoy and interact with. The annual art festival this year runs from 23 October and 1 November and is expected to bring art fans from across the UK.

Stephen Purcell, Chair of Illuminating York and Dean of the Faculty of Arts at York St John University said, ‘This year our artists have risen to the challenge of engaging more than ever with the public.  People will be able to quite literally draw with light and this means no two nights will be exactly the same.  We hope audiences will come back time and again to see how the artworks change throughout the festival.'

The menu promises the most spectacular contemporary mixture of projections seen in the city yet, each offering a unique and atmospheric experience, from nature inspired light-landscapes to interactive installations, encouraging the audience to influence the look of the art pieces.

In previous years, the festival has seen magnificent projections onto the grandeur of the York Minster and the ruins of St Mary's Abbey, as well as more intimate, atmospheric pieces on the inner walls of the medieval Holy Trinity Church.

Headline pieces at this year's Illuminating York are:

Vespertine by Bright White. Kings Manor, Museum Gardens, 23 October - 1 November

As the darkness creeps in over the Museum Gardens, a breathtaking display will bring the Kings Manor to life. Illustrating the wild nature of the beautiful relationship between predators and their prey, Vespertine is a digital sound and video installation that exposes the magnificence of nocturnal wildlife in the city centre. The visual piece is accompanied by pockets of wildlife sounds, which influence the motion in the projection, creating a powerful and dynamic environment. 

The King's Manor is situated in the corner of the beautiful Museum Gardens, behind the ruins of St Mary's Abbey and its Tudor walls will be the backdrop to this spectacular vision.

5Circles, by KMA and Pilot Theatre. St Sampson's Square, 23 October - 25 October

Pilot Theatre and KMA's 5circles project has been shortlisted for

'Artists taking the Lead', one of the major projects of the 2012

Cultural Olympiad and part of the *'imove' project. As one of the five selected groups from the region they are in the running for this major commission from Arts Council England.

5circles will see five large circular stages located in five Yorkshire cities - creating artistic urban playgrounds on a grand scale. Each circle will host a series of interactive games and public art installations, with a projector suspended above the ground which will react to the movement of the people within the space. Through this, people will have a unique interaction with light, sound and other participants.

The presence of 5circles at Illuminating York is part one in the build up to the 2012 programme of Cultural Olympiad activities. It was inspired by the Olympics and it is hoped (subject to funding) that the artwork will tour internationally between now and the London Olympic Games, including a tour to five cities in Yorkshire. For three nights only an interactive feast of colour, light and sound will be projected onto the pavement at St Sampson's Square, right in the heart of York.

Spectators can influence the piece of art by using their own movement to make visual creations with light.

Walls of Light by GaiaNova and OMA International. The Multangular Tower, Museum Gardens, 23 October - 1 November.

Drawing your own masterpiece with light on historical remains in York is the treat that awaits visitors to Illuminating York this year. An interactive drawing board allows visitors to see their own drawings and creations on the Multangular Tower, adding to the magnificent vision in the beautiful Museum Gardens. Professional artists also will be creating inspirational visions on the tower from across the world, at specific times throughout the festival.

The Multangular Tower is in the gardens of St Mary's Abbey, part of the Museum Gardens, and the outside of this grand, roman structure will be decorated with GaiaNova and OMA International's creation.

Gillian Cruddas, Chief Executive of Visit York said: "Each year art lovers from around the country are drawn in to feast their eyes on the spectacle that the festival creates and last year brought in the largest amount of visitors yet, reaching just under 30,000 people.   Visit York and Welcome to Yorkshire are delighted to have worked with key partners in the city to make this event happen.

"Illuminating York offers visitors the chance to experience the juxtaposition of York's historic gems with contemporary light installations, creating a very rare and unique atmosphere."

Also part of Illuminating York

The ‘Creative York Symposium' held at the York Theatre Royal on 28 October 2009 will explore how 21st Century creative technologies are being successfully applied to enhance the cultural infrastructure. It will be made up of talks, exhibitions and workshops, with the theme of ‘The Cultural Evolution'.

It will bring together influential business leaders and policy makers with creative practitioners, to focus on the future needs of the region and how creative industries in York and North Yorkshire can provide innovative solutions.

Get the latest news

From 6th September you can find out more about Illuminating York on a new website: http://www.illuminatingyork.org/ and make friends with Illuminating York on Facebook, or follow the excitement on Twitter. Visit www.visityork.org or call York Visitor Information 01904 550099 to book your festival break.

For more information, visit http://www.visityork.org/ or  http://www..

 

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