Illuminating the Eastern City
A celebration of light in London. Brightening the city with light artworks from Tuesday, December 2nd.
Hive Curates and Eastern City BID are excited to announce the start of a series of City Light Illuminations, a key highlight of the ongoing Festival of Light winter programme. This initiative continues by shining a spotlight on city landmarks, featuring 55 Old Broad Street.
Following Dame Joan Collins switching on the lights for London’s tallest sustainable Christmas tree, the winter programme will feature striking and unexpected light installations created by specially commissioned artists, bringing surprise and wonder to the streets.
Lee Baker and Catherine Borowski of Graphic Rewilding
Standing on the corner of three significant streets in the Eastern City, the prominent facade of 55 Old Broad Street will be transformed after dark, with the stunning, nature-inspired work of Graphic Rewilding. Working together under the name Graphic Rewilding, Lee Baker and Catherine Borowski are dedicated to using nature-inspired art to improve people's quality of life.
Catherine Borowski explains “In 2019 studies appearing in Frontiers in Psychology showed that a 20 minute walk in nature is enough to significantly improve your mood and reduce feelings of stress and anxiety. A walk in nature improves your mood, but it’s also been shown that exposure to pictures of nature has a similar effect.”
“We automatically think that projected art should be fast and flashy but we decided to slow it right down to the beat of a butterfly wing. To allow the work to breathe, much like a church window, the more you look up at it, the more you see. It works on so many levels - if you’re rushing the overall impression is one of wow, but if you invest just a few seconds more you’ll uncover some tiny magical moments. The work gives people the time and space to watch in stillness, helping to calm the brain during what can be an extremely sensorily busy time of the year. We wanted to create a visual meditation, a slow-paced animation to contrast with the high speed industries that are associated with the City.”
By illuminating the city and enriching our urban environment with extraordinary artistic pieces, Hive Curates and Eastern City BID aim to spark creativity and provide passersby with joyful moments as they stroll through the city. You can see the projection from 5 until 10pm from Monday 2nd to Sunday 15th December.
The programme will also include an impressive group exhibition titled ‘Hope, Joy and Divination’, at Broadworks gallery, showcasing vibrant neon artworks created by talented light artists.
Chila Burman, Spangled Sun, 2020
Drawing on the overall vision of bringing light and optimism to everyday lives, the exhibition invites visitors to explore how we relate to the world and ourselves in both good and hard times. The artworks' themes and colours will offer a respite on the busy street, complementing Graphic Rewilding's installation nearby. The exhibition features an array of contemporary pieces by Chila Burman MBE, Eve De Haan, Daisy Doig, Mark Beattie, Jochen Holz, Lauren Baker and Tiziano Summo.
‘Hope, Joy and Divination’ runs from Tuesday 3rd until Thursday 12th Dec, 11am-6pm (Broadworks Gallery Opens Tuesdays-Fridays). The exhibition private view is on Thursday 5th December, 5pm until 9pm (free, booking required via eventbrite.)
The City Light Illuminations programme continues throughout the winter so keep your eyes peeled for more updates!