Winter Lights at Canary Wharf is celebrating its sixth year and has become an annual event in the London calendar for the middle of January. This was my fifth year visiting the Winter Lights festival at Canary Wharf; I never made it to the first year. Compared to the previous years, the event is slightly shorter this year, lasting only just over a week as opposed to two weeks. This year was the busiest that I have ever seen it, which may be due to the event being shorter (opening on a Thursday instead of a Tuesday), increased marketing from the previous year when numbers soared for the first time, and an increase in workforce in the area.
Improved signage and volunteers helped keep the event organised, which was lacking the first four years, however, getting lost in those initial years actually allowed me to understand the layout of Canary Wharf so that it is no longer a maze for me). Some installations from previous years were included this year, but there were also many new installations too. Also, the Winter Lights bites street food stalls returned for their second year in a row but located in different areas this year and with more options. Another difference was that the trail covered a wider area of Canary Wharf than in previous years. Many of the light installations were colourful and interactive, and I managed to see them all this year without wind or operation issues. Continue reading to see what is on display this year.
Montgomery Square hosted one of the larger interactive installations again this year but left plenty of room for several street food trucks. One of these sold marshmallows for toasting in the cold January evening. I had the blueberry and gin marshmallow.
At the end of the night, I had a crumble with vanilla custard from a street food seller "Humble Crumble", and it was delicious.
I also had the wood-fired pizza, but it was different to last year's pizza, which was really tasty. This one was "Barney and the Pizza" and was good but did not quite hit the spot. This was located in the same place as last year along with four or five other vendors by Cabot Circus.
AFFINITY BY AMIGO & AMIGO AND S1T2
This large scale illuminated artwork mimics how neurons send messages to the brain; the orbs near the ground send different colours up the chain of orbs above when they have been touched by viewers. Due to its large scale and ability to walk around and underneath the installation, it encourages viewer interaction, which also allows its colour and brightness to be transformed.
POOLS OF LIGHT
Thousands of plastic balls have been spilled inside the Jubilee Park decorative ponds, and colours of light are projected onto these white plastic balls. The colours change and reflect onto the ball-filled pools, giving them a glow.
CHROMATIC PLAY BY TINE BECH STUDIO
These alien-like creatures with "antennae" change colour when they sense movement near them, and they interact accordingly. These sculptures were inspired by the sense of personal space and how humans interact with one another in this "personal space".
16 BITS BY PARKER HEYL
Inside the shopping mall below Jubilee Park is another interactive installation. It is comprised of several blocks that move when visitors switch a series of levers in front of the installation; these move the blocks to create a unique installation piece using motion and light. The artist of this installation uses elements of mechanical engineering to create this interactive artwork.
SQUIGGLE BY ANGUS MUIR DESIGN
"Squiggle" is a sculpture with a series of glowing lights around it. The artwork's light change colour and pattern and seem to emit from the central sculpture. At times, the light moves like a wave; other times, the light is solid but changing in colour and intensity.
MI-E DOR DE TINE BY DAISLER ASSOCIATION
This phrase in this artwork is roughly translated from Romanian to English as "I miss you". However, the phrase is not an equal translation because it has a deeper feeling than the English phrase conveys. This installation hangs over the dock to reflect on the water and is an exchange with "Lights on Romania" art festival.
SASHA TREES BY ADAM DECOLIGHT
These illuminated and colour-changing trees are back for a second time at Winter Lights in Canary Wharf; they made an impact last year and look beautiful in this new square. The artwork appears to be pine trees, which are lit with colourful lights in blocks. The lights transform gradually between a series of colours on each block, creating a unique glowing artwork.
SHISH-KA-BUOY BY ANGUS MUIR DESIGN
These towering sculptures change and glow with different colours, absorbing the light to give off a glow during the day. They are constructed out of marine buoys.
STRATUM BY STUDIO CHEVALVERT
This interactive installation is made from 92 metal totems, an the light from these change pattern and shape depending on how the user interacts with it using a sensor panel in front of the artwork. The lights pulsate, appear like water droplets, or completely illuminate and change pattern depending on how the visitor's hand is waved in front of a sensor. This is also set to a soundscape.
LACTOLIGHT BY LACTOLIGHT
Constructed out of used milk bottles in a giant circle, this unique artwork uses light and soundscape to charm viewers. This installation highlights the importance of recycling plastics. The artwork has colours projected onto it on which patterns were created and change.
TIME & TIDE BY PAUL & PUTE
This installation was on display last year and highlights the issues with plastic pollution. The item is constructed out of biodegradable material. The sculpture illuminates into an hourglass shape, which is meant to suggest that time is limited or that the planet is up against time.
SKY ON EARTH BY UAII STUDIO
This installation simulates being in the clouds in the middle of a storm. Crashes of thunder, wind sound, and flashes of bright light mimic a storm. Wind is also emitted, which sometimes lifts up the foam into the air. The installation is from a sky or cloud view.
DITTO BY ITHACA STUDIO
This chamber of light is decorated with mirrors on the floor and ceiling and bright orbs of light and colour. The visitor can interact with it by going inside the sculpture where there are benches to sit on to enjoy the surrounding of the changing colour, patterns, and to enjoy the accompanying soundscape.
ABSORBED BY LIGHT BY GALI MAY LUCAS
This light sculpture offers a social message about people being "glued" to their phones, which emit a glow. The light sculpture also encourages visitors to have a seat to pose for photographs as there is a free seat between the figures on the bench.
LIQUID SOUND BY ENTERTAINMENT EFFECTS
As last year, the fountain in Cabot Square has become an installation set to light and music. The fountains move and create patterns with the beat of the song, and the lights of the fountain change colour.
MOUNTAIN OF LIGHT BY ANGUS MUIR DESIGN
This illuminated mountain of colourful blocks can be manipulated by the viewer in order to create their own colour or patterns. The colours are similar shades at first, then it is built up through interaction to be brighter and bolder multi-coloured elements.
THE CLEW BY OTTOTTO
This installation is created using 100 circles of red light and is inspired by the architecture of the bridge and the glow of sunset reflecting on the water.
BIT.FALL BY JULIUS POPP
This year, the installation was broken and kept repeating the phrases "subscribe" and "access", which I think means that the installation failed to contact the news service feeds in order to gather the words from them that it uses to display as droplets of water and light and instead displays the generic subscription message. Although this installation is a permanent one and features every year at Winter Lights, I enjoyed seeing the words from the news that would surface on the water.
THE BRA TREE
This tree is covered in bras and then illuminated with light. It raises awareness of breast cancer and aims to raise money to support breast cancer charities.
NEON TREE BY HAWTHORN
This tree has been decorated with neon strings of light, and it really brightens up the square.
LIGHTBENCH BY LBO LICHTBANK
These light benches are part of the permanent collection and have been in place for three years now after having been showcased previously as temporary artworks at Winter Lights. The benches are illuminated and change colour, and they can be seen all year.
SEED OF LIFE BY AMBERLIGHTS
This installation or a similar one by the same company was on display a couple of years ago. Unfortunately, its current location inside the shopping mall isn't dark enough to highlight the real beauty of this object. The different colours of panel create a light and metallic effect.
CONSTELLATIONS BY STUDIO JOANIE LEMERCIER
"Constellations" is a production created using water mist, light, and sound. The image is projected onto a spray of water or mist from the dock below. This then shows animations of the sky, such as the moon at eclipse, black hole, and stars. With the water mist and light, shapes and patterns are formed.
DESIRE BY UXU STUDIO
This installation is created with a soundscape and pulsating red lights. On one side, it appears to be a pair of lips, and the side appears to be a heart. The lights pulsate, and this is a very photographic artwork.
LUMA PAINT LIGHT GRAFFITI BY LICHTFAKTOR AND BOMBER GRAFFITI
This interactive artwork was so popular that it returns again, and there was a long queue to participate in it. The creator of the artwork also becomes part of the artwork with an illuminated photograph of themselves taken to appear as part of the graffiti. They also "paint" light onto the canvas to create their own unique designs.
AQUATICS BY PHILIPP ARTUS
This artwork is similar to last year's parade of animals, but the artist is different. The installation mimics sea life swimming around. This is another interactive piece where the viewer can decide the shapes of the creatures.
Some of the permanent installations were not included this year, such as the lit-up trees in the sky garden, glowing reeds below the Crossrail station, and the illuminated walk-way to the Crossrail station. This is the first time in the six years that "WE COULD MEET BY MARTIN RICHMAN" (the reeds) were not included as one of the items in the trail, but it is a permanent installation.
Previous visits to the Winter Lights at Canary Wharf can be seen below:
Canary Wharf Winter Lights 2019
Winter Lights @ Canary Wharf 2018
Canary Wharf Winter Lights (2017)
Winter Lights @ Canary Wharf (2016)
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