Lumiere organisers have provided all the details of the "biggest programme yet" that is set to come to County Durham at the end of November.
The long-awaited full programme of events for Durham's Lumiere, the UK's light art biennial has been revealed ahead of its return from November 16 to 19.
From 4.30pm to 11pm each night, the city will become a nocturnal art experience hosting works made with light on its streets, bridges, buildings and river - from the bustling Market Place, to Durham Cathedral’s UNESCO World Heritage site, historic Bishop Auckland town centre and the prestigious Durham University campus.
Read more: First artists announced for Durham Lumiere festival 2023
Fourteen years after Lumiere debuted in Durham, and more than one million visitors later, it is now the UK’s first light art biennial, a global event with artists from 15 different countries exhibiting their artwork completely free for the public.
Installations that will this year transform Durham include 16 new commissions and seven UK debuts, ranging from local North East artists and schools and communities as well as group collectives and global artists. Here are just a few of the artists whose work will appear at Lumiere this year.
A highlight of the biennial for the last 14 years has been the artistic interaction with Durham’s Norman Cathedral, and this year will see its most spectacular transformation yet, both outside and inside its walls.
Within the building, two internationally-acclaimed artists will exhibit UK premieres. Montréal-based Mexican artist Rafael Lozano-Hemmer’s colossal immersive work Pulse Topology from 2021 is set to transform the Cathedral nave.
On display in the Cathedral’s 11th century Chapter House will be Ai Weiwei’s Illuminated Bottle Rack (2018), and the Cathedral cloister will be the site of a new commission by US artist Adam Frelin with 'Inner Cloister' (2023).
Outside the Cathedral on Palace Green, Spanish artist Javier Riera will create an immersive series of three-dimensional projections titled Liquid Geometry (2023), one of three commissions supported by Durham University.
Visitors will be able to walk amongst and underneath the mind-bending geometric shapes that Riera creates, exploring the hidden qualities and dimensions in the buildings surrounding Durham Cathedral.
Across town, visitors can look out for a series of playful neon installations, Emotional Weather (2023), a new commission by UK artist Aidan Moesby, that reflects the relationship between physical and emotional journeys. With giant symbols typically used in weather forecasts, each work is set where people begin or end a journey.
Towards the water's edge, Lumiere will unfold along the riverside. Constellations (2018) by French artist Joanie Lemercier, will take visitors on a cosmic journey through the universe featuring three-dimensional planets, and stars and deep into the interior of a black hole.
Suspended beneath Framwellgate Bridge will be German artist Anselm Reyle’s neon installation Untitled (2023), comprising of leftover tubes from industrial and urban spaces to create a nostalgic retro reflection in the river.
For the first time, Bishop Auckland in County Durham joins the Lumiere spectacle with four works that will interact with a façade, building or public space, transforming the heart of Bishop Auckland for four nights only.
The historic town’s Spanish Gallery is UK’s first gallery dedicated to the art, history and culture of Spain. Internationally acclaimed Spanish artist, Daniel Canogar unveils the treasures held inside with Amalgama Spanish Gallery (2023), a new commission for Lumiere 2023.
Using works by El Greco, Murillo and Velázquez, Canogar will create a beautiful projection that will melt across the exterior of the building. Nearby, Auckland Tower will be remade with The Drop (2023), a beacon of light and sound by UK lighting designer Phil Supple.
Artistic Director of Artichoke, Helen Marriage says: "Lumiere – the UK’s first light art biennial – takes to the streets this November, transforming the stunning medieval city of Durham into a magnificent outdoor art exhibition that is eagerly anticipated and free for everyone to attend.
"Artichoke is always determined to reimagine and reinvent the familiar, and this year’s Lumiere is no exception. The programme is even more ambitious with the work of some of the world’s greatest contemporary artists finding its place amongst the beautiful architecture of Lumiere’s home city."
Read next:
- Lumiere light festival to return to Durham in November 2023
- County Durham artist among those chosen for Lumiere 2023
- 15 of the best Durham Lumiere 2021 opening day photos
Councillor Amanda Hopgood, Leader of Durham County Council, said: "We are delighted to reveal the long-awaited programme for Lumiere as the commissioners of this international event.
"This year’s programme is an exciting culmination of awe-inspiring work from world-renowned artists and thought-provoking projects created by our communities.
"We are also extending our reach outside of Durham City into the wider county, with some fantastic pieces to be enjoyed in Bishop Auckland town centre."
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