Weston town centre will be transformed during February half term by a series of free, pop-up illuminated artworks as part of the third edition of flagship festival GLOW, taking place from Tuesday 13 to Saturday 17 February.
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‘GLOW Around Town’ features a series of colourful, interactive light installations that will spill out from the main, ticketed festival site at Grove Park, providing a kaleidoscopic trail of immersive, sensory and playful experiences in popular town centre locations, free for all to enjoy.
At the Grand Pier, share the love by taking a selfie with ‘I Heart WSM’ and capture a romantic Valentine’s Day moment with ‘Light Hearted’, a giant LED heart that lights up when it is connected by people holding hands across the artwork.
Enjoy ‘Hexagons’ at the Digital Funfair, a graphic-style game played out on an illuminated wall designed to light up the area with colour and lots of immersive fun.
Opposite, at Princess Royal Square, you can express yourself in a big way on the ‘LED Curtain’, an 8 metre wide screen that will display your message for all to see. The pathways will be lined in glorious colour by ‘Linear’, a new light installation based on the double helix structure found in DNA by Bristol light artist Aether Project.
The town’s iconic Italian Gardens will be filled by ‘Continuum’, a stunning, sensory installation from Illumaphonium. Featuring 25 illuminated monoliths, the immersive and fully accessible artwork creates a mirrored maze of infinite reflections and responds to people’s presence by sending ripples of light between the towers and creating an ever evolving soundscape.
The fountain water jets in the Italian Gardens will transform into ever-changing, mesmeric abstract images in ‘Every Drop’ a light projection artwork sponsored by Bristol Water.
‘Every Drop’ is an installation about the importance of water as the life blood of our planet. It links key messages from Bristol Water’s Every Drip Every Drop water saving campaign to NHS workers’ experience of the water being critical to life. Inspired by a SW!M 75 soundscape, co-produced by Super Culture and Diverse City, the installation features the voices of University Hospitals Bristol and Weston staff reflecting upon the role of water in their lives at home and work.
The majority of the town centre artworks will be lit up for five evenings during GLOW from 5.30pm to 9.30pm. Continuum will be at the Italian Gardens from Wednesday 14 to Saturday 17 February.
New this year for party-goers is ‘Afterglow’, taking place on Friday 16th February from 9pm to 3am at the Loft and Electric Banana nightclubs, with multi-genre DJ’s, live music from Bristol’s Cheritang, local bands, a sensory playroom and enchanted forest themed artwork providing a unique, glow-in-the-dark club experience. Early bird tickets from £6.
On Saturday 17th February, people can also enjoy the Grand Pier’s annual firework display ‘Fireworks at Sea’
Alongside the free town centre installations, GLOW combines a ticketed light trail in Grove Park, showcasing some of the UK’s most exciting light artworks and heart-warming community collaborations.
GLOW director Paula Birtwistle said: “This year’s GLOW theme is ‘Play in Nature’, and the additional artworks in the town encourage people to play in Weston’s loved places and spaces, with a series of free, fun, must-see light displays.
“At GLOW in Grove Park there’s a spectacular line-up of light installations, many created by artists and communities from Weston. The event provides the perfect half term excuse to emerge from the winter darkness and into the light!
“Last year’s event was a sell-out success that attracted 20,000 visitors from Weston, the local area and across the region - this year, even with an extra night added to the festival schedule, tickets are selling fast again.”
For details about the full GLOW programme visit superculture.org.uk and follow @SuperCultureWsm for the latest news about the event. To purchase advance tickets to GLOW at Grove Park, visit Super Culture Weston.
GLOW is conceived and designed by Weston-based artist and producer Paula Birtwistle and presented in partnership with Super Culture, Weston-super-Mare Town Council, The Grand Pier and PYTCH.
The event is made possible thanks to funding from Arts Council England and Weston-super-Mare Town Council.
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