Lumiere ready to light up Londonderry

From the Bogside to the Fountain, and from Waterside to Cityside, Lumiere will transform the city into a giant outdoor art gallery.

Produced by leading arts company Artichoke, Lumiere will be the jewel in the crown of the closing weeks of Derry~Londonderry’s reign as the UK City of Culture in 2013, the latest in a string of spectacular successes which have put the city well and truly on the cultural map.

Lumiere in Derry~Londonderry follows the spectacular success of Durham’s Lumiere light festival, which drew around 175,000 people over four nights.

Both festivals are organised by Artichoke, but only Ron Hasleden’s deserted musical fairground, Fête will make the journey from Durham to Londonderry.

Helen Marriage, Artichoke’s director, explains: “Derry~Londonderry is a very special city with its own landscape and characteristics, and because of that we decided to do something very different here. There will be 17 artworks on show, several of which are completely new installations that have been commissioned from local and international artists especially for the city. We’ve been working with local communities here for nearly two years now.”

““Everyone from local schoolchildren to the PSNI has been involved in the project. It is a festival for the people of the city by the people of the city. We’ve tried to find a way to give everyone a voice”.

Amongst the newly-commissioned works is Teenage Kicks by local artist Deepa Mann-Kler, inspired by the Undertones’ greatest hit. The 30m-long neon sign will adorn principal UK City of Culture partner BT’s building and will be visible across the city.