A free festival of light is coming to Bradford – bringing with it an artistic recreation of the aurora borealis, or northern lights, to Bradford city park.
Created by artist Dan Archer, the illusion of the northern lights will fill the sky above the park in an imitation of the aural band – using particle clouds and layers of light to build the effect above viewers’ heads.
Alongside it, the city will see a host of different light-thtmed installations and attractions popping up. F
rom a band of light-up puppets including the Cottingley Fairies and Rombald the Giant, to a spectacular display at Bradford Cathedral that will see its 44 responsive light-organ ‘pipes’ transformed into a spectrum of light and colour, this free festival is not to be missed.
Elsewhere, you’ll find ‘When the Clocks Go Back, Count Sheep’, which will see the exterior of The Wool Exchange lit up in colourful lights that will transform it into a moving clock decorated with sheep; Nutkhut’s Lotus Flower at The Broadway, and Lightweave at North Parade.
Lightweave uses macrame techniques on light cables to create a dramatic effect, whilst Nutkhut’s Lotus Flower honours the Hindu goddess Lakshmi herself whilst tapping into Bradford’s diverse community roots.
And that’s not all. Discover a a Tapestry of Light on Factory Street in Tong, a woodland AV installation outside Bingley Arts Centre and glowing, luminous balls of wool over in Haworth.
The festival is also packed with activities, such as creative workshops in Keighley. If you’re heading down this way, make sure to pay a visit to the library – the exterior of which will be decked out in luminous art inspired by the buildings’ archives.
Whilst the majority of displays will be in situ ahead of the big weekend, to be guaranteed to see it all you’re best off to visit between 5 pm and 10 pm on Friday, 5 and Saturday, 6 November.
To find out more, visit the festival’s website here.
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