Bournemouth is set to be illuminated as part of Arts by the Sea 2024 with three new installations shining a fresh light on arts in the town centre.
This year’s festival – from Friday 27 to Sunday 29 September – is expected to be the brightest ever.
It will explore the theme of TASTE through an array of artworks, from large glowing bubbles to funky interactive sculptures.
The free festival, founded by BCP Council and largely funded by taxpayers and National Lottery players, features large-scale spectaculars, diverse music, dance and street theatre.
This year’s event includes Evanescent, an immersive, light and sound temporary environment in the form of giant iridescent bubbles.
The larger than life, light-up installation is the work of award-winning Sydney-based art practice Atelier Sisu, led by Peruvian sculptor and industrial designer, Renzo B Larriviere, alongside architect and artist Zara Pasfield.
The creative duo work to create experiential environments, installations and unique sculptural pieces, which they call art-chitecture, a combination of art and architecture.
Twist and Shine is an invitation for Arts by the Sea’s visitors to manipulate and shape interactive light sculptures and is the work of international production studio, Kaleider.
Kaleider is the combined effort of South West-based producers Katie Keeler and Jocelyn Mills, artist and producer Irene Urrutia, manager Peter Vanderford and artist and director Seth Honnor.
The team’s work combines installation, live performance and digitalisation to create immersive and interactive experiences that appeal to all audiences.
In line with this year’s theme, festival-goers will be able to alter the sculptures to reflect their own TASTE in art, allowing them to be a part of the festival’s creative expression.
Every interconnected prism in Twist and Shine is able to be rotated, leading to infinite possibilities for the final result.
Light Art Creatives specialise in creating magical events using the art of light to transform static objects, buildings, aircraft and much more, into living, transformational and awe inspiring memories.
For Arts by the Sea, they’ll be taking the artwork created by this year’s Artist in Residence, Rebecca Strickson, to create an impressive light projection onto Bournemouth’s Upside Down House.
Audiences can expect bold colours, vivid patterns and vibrant shapes transforming the Upside Down House from a functional, albeit unusual building, into a living art piece.
Light Arts Creative will also be working with Canadian artist Louis-Robert Bouchard of Interferences, Arts and Technologies, to bring to Arts by the Sea the innovative and interactive project, Digital Graffiti.
The digital projection-led piece will see festival-goers try their hand at digital graffiti, ‘spraying’ their own temporary designs onto Bournemouth Pavilion using spray can shaped controllers, to express their personal view of art.
Andrea Francis, Festival Director at Arts by the Sea, said: “With our theme of TASTE this year, visitors to the festival can expect to see a huge array of different types of art and become their own art critique, and we’re delighted with the light-based installations that will be seen for 2024!
“We want to invite everyone to come and sample the different art forms, to test out their own creativity, discuss what they like and dislike in art, and to rethink their own tastes, as they explore a new, luminous world of creativity from our brilliant artists.”
Arts by the Sea is an Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation.