Canary Wharf Winter Lights
The annual Canary Wharf Winter Lights Festival began this week, featuring 19 light installations, 13 of which were unique to this year’s event. As can be expected with most public events in London, the exhibition received a lot of hype on social media, so I had to see for myself if it could live up to expectations.
Whilst at times it was difficult to avoid the crowds, several of the exhibits were in large enough spaces that they were easily visible for all to enjoy. I particularly liked the way in which many of the installations played to the strengths of the materials used and the surrounding landscape such as Elastic ‘The Boulder’ by Tom&Lien Dekyvere. This crystal-like structure was only visible when looking down over the railings, where it appeared to protrude out of the ground like a precious mineral that had been mined from deep within the earth. As it featured less of the noise and fanfare of some of the other pieces, this exhibit seemed to be somewhat overlooked by passers by (perhaps as it is a permanent installation), but I felt that it was both subtle and elegant, as well as perfectly suited to its surroundings.
Elastic ‘The Boulder’ by Tom&Lien Dekyvere
Those who know me would not be surprised to hear that my favourite exhibit was Bit.fall by Julius Popp. This first stop along the Winter Lights trail presented words that were created with thousands of falling water drops. Bit.fall is described as translating the abstract process of data exchange ‘into an experience for the senses’ which is certainly true; the speed at which a word dropped to the water below, only to be replaced moments later by a new one, was reflective of the fast paced world we now live in. The moment the water begins to fall, the words themselves are already beginning to fade away into insignificance.
By generating the words from live news sources, it felt that there was current cultural significance to the language that was forming, which each of us may have unique connections to. There is no doubt that many of the visitors to this exhibit did so for an interesting Instagram story, but it was noticeable how many people chose to reflect on the words they were seeing, often stopping for several minutes to see which word would appear next.
In general I find myself looking at these type of events from multiple perspectives. It would be easy to jump to the conclusion that many of the people visiting are only doing so to spice up their social content, and are less interested in the work from an artistic or cultural perspective, but perhaps that is a dismissive and discouraging way to look at it. Alternatively, it could be suggested that due to the wide reach of social media, what could have been a rather niche event has in fact drawn a much larger and diverse audience, who will each have their own unique take on the exhibits. In addition to this, whilst I am sure it causes some level of disruption to local residents, a free and easily accessible event like the Winter Lights encourages people to not only spend time outdoors exploring a new part of the city, but also brings money to local businesses.
The Peace Poem by Emergency Exit Arts and Robert Montgomery
The hectic nature of this event may be off-putting to some, but I would encourage people who are in the area to have a look for themselves. There may be pieces on display that are more of an acquired taste, but in general I feel that exhibitions that bring art to a wider audience are extremely beneficial.
There is no doubting the popularity of the Winter Lights which makes me question; why isn’t more artwork brought to the streets? Would these exhibits have been as popular or significant had they been hidden away inside a modern art gallery?
