We went along for a preview last night and have rounded up some of the weird and wonderful spectacles you can expect to see at this year’s festival, which features some old favourites as well as new commissions.
There are 37 artworks in total, spread across the city and although tickets have all gone for the central area, 26 of the artworks are outside of the ticketed zone.
For more on 10 special years of Lumiere read our report here.
1. Fools Paradise, Durham Castle by Novak
A fantastical fairy tale village reappears on the facade of Durham Castle Originally commissioned as part of Lumiere 2015, NOVAK’s projection mapping artwork is inspired by local history and folklore. Fool’s Paradise returns to Durham to reimagine this ancient structure as a faraway cluster of colourful dwellings. The projection was created using various animation techniques, paper cutting and hand drawn images. Photo: Owen Humphreys
2. End Over End, Milburngate, by Lucy McDonnell
A giant, glowing toy slinks down into the city. Milburngate is transformed into a nocturnal playground by a super-sized version of a classic toy. Each coil of the oversized spring is illuminated in turn, creating the familiar flowing form of a Slinky tumbling into the shadows. Inspired by the artists’ children’s toys, End Over End playfully subverts our sense of scale. Photo: Owen Humphreys
3. Mysticete, north of Pennyferry Bridge, by Topla Design/Catherine Garre
A whale majestically emerges from the Wear. Catch a glimpse of a colossal Baleen Whale in an unexpected environment. Top’là Design’s remarkably life-like 3D water-screen projection of this endangered species makes a splash at Lumiere again this year. Reminding us of the vulnerable beauty of nature, Mysticète highlights our duty to protect the Earth’s creatures, a message that’s more pertinent now than ever before. The installation is accompanied by a mesmerising soundtrack by Laurent Frick. Photo: Owen Humphreys
4. I Love Durham, Market Place, by Jacques Rival
A giant glittering snow globe brings the 3rd Marquess of Londonderry galloping into the 21st Century. A public statue of the 3rd Marquess of Londonderry, known to generations in Durham as ‘the man on the horse’, is no stranger to controversy. An Eton-educated MP and Lord-Lieutenant of the county, he was considered a brutal oppressor of the miners employed in his pits. More recently, his statue was the subject of local debate over whether it should be removed or moved. An original commission for Durham in 2011, the snow globe makes a spectacular return to Market Place. The Marquess is transformed into a larger-than-life figurine, adorned with the pink neon words, ‘I Love Durham’. Watch as ‘the man on the horse’ disappears in a billowing blizzard, just like the snow globes many of us enjoyed as children. Photo: Owen Humphreys