Christmas lights designed by James Glancy
Lighting design in big cities takes on a playful character at Christmas. The center of large cities is transformed by a very simple element, but very difficult to project in moderation and sensitivity: the light.
This exercise is not always successful. On this occasion we wanted to travel to London, where the Christmas lighting is a true tradition and is cared for with particular care . This year, this will feature the participation of renowned artists, involved not only in the creation, but also in something more prosaic: pressing the button on the lights.
In St Christopher's Place the design has been carried out by the James Glancy Design studio, which has created huge reflective spheres that will be lit by Natalia Kremen, a dancer with the National Ballet.
In Covent Garden, the intervention of Martha Fiennes, an expert in audiovisual design, film director and sister of the actors Ralph and Joseph Fiennes, stands out. With her company, SLOimage, she has made a nativity scene that mixes live actors with digital and virtual technologies , offering an interactive experience that transforms throughout the day.
Carnaby street goes one step further: this year it introduces multi-sensory lighting, with holographic images and music . I still remember last year's exceptional staging, about space: the planets and the astronauts were suspended above the heads of passers-by.
A classic: Harrods at Christmas
As always, **the lighting most photographed by tourists is that of the Harrods building**, covered in hundreds of thousands of light bulbs. And the most innovative window displays, those of the Harvey Nichols department store. This year the protagonist is ice and its action on nature, with spectacular installations that make up characters from the snow, animals from the poles, frozen objects and ski scenes. If you look closely, the materials are very simple: transparent insulating tape, wires, plastics...
But without any doubt, maximum sophistication is concentrated on Sloane Street and Sloan Square . Since last week, tiny light bulbs form ethereal dandelions, suspended in the center of the street and above the trees by invisible cables. It gives the sensation that the tooth has been blown and the delicate cypselas shine and fly with the air.
According to Ulrike Brandi, an international expert in architecture and city lighting, artificial light is what allows us to live "new experiences of the city". In other words, it can produce special and spatial effects, but it must be projected within a vision of "less is more" and " respect for darkness and the rhythm of day and night ".
In the case of London, each year, when its lighting respects the darkness, the essence of Christmas is reborn. These luminous wonders can be seen from November 10, 2011 to January 6, 2012.
The Martha Fiennes montage in Covent Garden