One week to go until River of Light illuminates Liverpool’s waterfront

There’s just one week to go until Liverpool’s Waterfront is illuminated once again with an incredibly popular FREE outdoor art gallery.

For 17 nights from Friday 21 October to Sunday 6 November, River Of Light will play host to a series of artworks created by local, national and international artists – all on the theme of Unexpected Twist – a nod to the World Gymnastics Championships 2022 which is taking place in the city ​during the same period.

The 2km walking trail, includes a mix of brand new, world premieres, as well as existing artworks which have never been displayed in the city before.

Evanescence

The never-before seen commissions are:

• Turn The Light On, It’s Dark In Here – Influential and critically acclaimed French street artist Camille Walala, will work in light for the first time in her career and expect a colourful, dynamic piece which plays with depth and dimensionality, creating an abstract cityscape of light.
• Dancing Ribbons – Another light first for the much-lauded British-Nigerian artist Yinka Ilori, who has been inspired by rhythmic gymnastics. His installation aims to capture the energy between the gymnast and the prop ribbon and includes a specially-created soundscape called Rhapsody of Light by accomplished composer and producer Peter Adjaye.
• Light Looper – The brainchild of Liverpool’s own Kazimier Productions, this interactive installation is a multiplayer game where players send particles of lights all around the art work, building up speed until the piece allows them to send the fully charged particle to the very top.
• Rainbow Accordion – Inspired by a traditional accordion, this artwork consists of six giant colourful interconnected archways, which sit on an interactive pad that when jumped on, sends light and sound through the archway. This work has been created by Australian artists Amigo & Amigo and it is their second appearance at a River of Light festival.
• BEAM – A brand new commission by the acclaimed Lucid Creates (artists Helen Swan and Chris Carr) will see a beam of light transport visitors to a hot, summer’s day, accompanied by the sounds of the British countryside. But after several minutes the feeling of peace and warmth will change to unease and suspense…

Cabinet Member for Culture and Visitor Economy, Councillor Harry Doyle, said:

“We know River of Light is one of the most popular events we organise and we love to see people walking the trail and seeing our city centre spaces in a new light courtesy of the imagination of some incredible artists.

“As always the calibre of artists that we are working with this year is incredibly impressive – we are now attracting critically acclaimed creatives who have never worked in light art form, but are wowed by what we produce as part of this festival and they want to be part of that.

“It’s great to see the education element of this year’s event coming to the fore as well – we want to make art as accessible as possible for all, and I’m delighted that so many of this year’s River of Light artists are giving up their time to share their experience and expertise.

“It’s going to be a bumper few weeks for Liverpool with so many major events taking place in the city – it’s the place to be this autumn!”

Watch our guide to River of Light Autumn 2021 here:

Artist Camille Walala said:

“Working with light as the base of the piece has been an exciting challenge for me as it’s the first time I have used this medium. It’s a very different approach for me, and I’m delighted with the new dimension that light has brought to my work. I can’t wait to see the piece in place – I hope it brings a touch of playfulness and delight to the Docks.”

For 2022, River Of Light will co-deliver a creative education programme in partnership with social project Make Bank which aims to make art more accessible. Many of the artists will be delivering sessions, master classes and discussions as part of the trail, details of which will be found on the dedicated River of Light pages on the Culture Liverpool website in the coming days.

River Of Light will take place in the middle of an exciting autumn/winter events programme for the city making Liverpool a must-visit destination for arts, sport and culture. Locals and visitors to the city can enjoy The World Gymnastics Championships Liverpool 2022, The Turner Prize, Our Place In Space and The Rugby League World Cup, all taking place during this period. More information on these events taking place across October and November can be found here.

River Of Light will be delivered by Liverpool City Council’s Culture Liverpool team and is supported by Arts Council England.

The full details of all ten pieces, the artists and their locations can be found on the official River of Light website here.

Featured image credit: Amigo & Amigo (Affinity Installation)