Little beats a sense of AWE
In November and Decemeber, TDC visited BD is LIT in Bradford, Light Up Lancaster, Light Night Wigan and Barnsley Bright Nights. This trip was about forging new relationships and understanding the context for movement-based work in UK light festivals.
Tom and Jim captured in MAPP by Alex Prooper and Simone van Dam. A joyful, simple live photograph, manipulated in real time with software - layers of color and shapes turning bodies and movement into light.
We carried the following questions while experiencing what was on offer:
What place can dance have in light art?
How can the surface of buildings become a stage for dance?
How can public spaces be choreographed by light or projection?
What can TDC offer light festivals?
Attending reminded us of the unique power light festivals have to evoke awe and transform everyday city streets into stages for moments of wonder. That feeling of standing with others in a place made unfamiliar by the power of light installations and performance sparks a deep curiosity - not just about art, but about the potential for our built environment to host new experiences.
Bradford and Lancaster had talks hosted by Light Up The North, which offered fantastic insight into festivals in that network and the artists and curators involved. These events offered connection with artists and producers questioning the future of light art, the appeal of immersive spectacle, and how communities are drawn together by shared moments of beauty. The panel discussions challenged us to think about the role of artistic practice in placemaking and the role of light festivals in revitalising and celebrating city spaces.
Ultimately, the journey underscored that awe is both an artistic outcome and a connective force. It’s what opens people to transformation, collaboration, and new perspectives, and it’s the starting point for imagining how dance, light, and place might merge in our work.