Durham's shining lights

INCONCEIVABLE as it now seems, Lumiere, the famous event which has become the UK’s largest celebration of light, might never have been staged in Durham. In fact, the way George Garlick, chief executive of Durham County Council and the man credited with closing the deal explains it, organiser Artichoke wasn’t originally thinking of the medieval city at all. It was only when another venue pulled out that Durham came to the table, and George, for one, is extremely glad it did.

“They were looking for a host and a partner and it was just a fantastic opportunity,” he says. “It gave us a real kick-start along the pathway in establishing Durham as a culturally vibrant city.”

The timing could not have been better. It was 2008 and the council was bidding for UK City of Culture. The bid was unsuccessful, but the first Lumiere was staged the following year. What could not have been predicted – and what still surprises and delights George – was that it would catapult Durham onto the national stage. With successive festivals in 2011 and 2013, the interest has simply intensified.

“It’s a very major draw,” says George. “Of all the North-Eastern cultural activities, this is the one that draws the attention of the national and international press and media. The tourism industry has increased by, I think, 30 per cent during the period since 2009 for the City of Durham. There’s a real cultural buzz about it.”

With preparations now well under way, this year’s Lumiere promises to be bigger and brighter than ever. Comprising 29 installations, it spans the entire city, with the Cathedral peninsula, for which tickets are required at peak times, its magnificent epicentre.

As has become traditional, the programme brings together the large-scale and the intimate, with contributors ranging from community groups to internationally-renowned artists. Just as in 2013, there will be a conference to discuss the fundamental ideas which underpin Lumiere – everything from God and science to how light can be used in medicine.

At its heart, however, it will be a visual spectacle. Helen Marriage, artistic director of Artichoke, hopes it will highlight hitherto unexplored aspects of Durham. “I think people will be absolutely blown away,” she says. “I think what we are doing better is articulating what we are thinking as we are putting the programme together, so you will see a lot of the inspiration and in-depth thinking. I think people tend to think of Lumiere as a four-day extravaganza but it’s much more serious than that might suggest.”

Founded in 2005, Artichoke is renowned for producing large-scale public art, including a giant elephant and a string of tents broadcasting love poetry. Aside from Lumiere, it has never repeated a piece of work at the same venue. Helen feels that Durham has unique appeal.

“There’s a loyalty there and we love the city – its taken the event to its heart and that’s what keeps bringing us back,” she says. “In the first year, I think everyone was surprised by how it took off and the county council were excited by what happened in 2009 and could see the potential for it to grow into a bi-annual event.

“We are interested in the transformation of public space so all the projects that we do take a very familiar space and transform it temporarily. Light transforms people’s experience of the city, which is a very dramatic transformation. We’re playing with people’s expectations.”

Part of the appeal for Helen is Durham’s unique character as a medieval city steeped in history. She feels it is important that even artists coming from abroad reflect this in their work.

“Every time I have to create a new programme I can just imagine what the city is going to look like under the imaginations of our artists,” she says. “If you’re me then that gives you such a canvas on which to paint – it’s such a fantastic place. Artists are very often responding to the architecture. I go and see a lot of work and sometimes I see a piece and think, ‘with a bit of tweaking, that would work’, and sometimes I think of an idea that I want to see executed and I’ll go and see the artist I think will deliver it.”

More prosaic – yet vitally important in the planning and execution of Lumiere – is health and safety. With visitor numbers rising with every event, peaking at 175,000 in 2013, Helen’s priority is ensuring that everyone can enjoy this year’s festival unimpeded.

“The city is effectively an island so we are always thinking, ‘what would be beautiful?’ but also, ‘how will the audience experience it and how will we keep them safe?’,” she says. “It’s a huge issue for us.”

So far, Lumiere has only been replicated elsewhere once – in Derry-Londonderry as part of the 2013 City of Culture celebrations. In January, however, the festival will have its London debut, for which Helen gives Durham full credit.

“You would be amazed how many people from London come to Durham Lumiere and marvel and say, ‘we would really love this back home’,” she says. “The London thing was commissioned because of the success of Durham.”

Such is its reputation that Helen feels the festival could spread to other locations. However, she is keen to acknowledge that Durham has made it what it is. “I think we would always be really, really proud of our Durham roots and if it went anywhere else, it would be an export from here,” she says.

• Lumiere runs in Durham City from Thursday (Nov 12) to Sunday. Entry is free but by ticket only to the Cathedral peninsula from 4.30-7.30pm nightly, though this can be accessed without a ticket after 7.30pm and more than half the 29 installations lie outside this area. For a full programme visit www.lumiere-festival.com