Let there be Light
Creative collective UVA give Covent Garden visitors an unforgettable visual treat
It’s dusk in the John Madejski garden of the Victoria & Albert Museum, London. The winter light fades and a tranquil scene unfolds as a crowd of bright-eyed visitors wander mesmerised around a field of luminous, sound-emitting columns that thrust forth from the ground in an atmospheric, almost organic, electronic tableaux. The columns of light ebb and flow to the visitors’ movements, creating an immersive, constantly shifting visual and musical experience.
This is a glowing example of the work of art and design practice United Visual Artists (UVA), and now Covent Garden goers can enjoy these in-demand designers’ talents as they showcase a unique, futuristic sculptural light display, featuring three large-scale interactive ‘chandeliers’ within the iconic Market Building. It’s Christmas lights, Covent Garden-style.
The installation incorporates a modular lighting array created from hundreds of energy efficient, full colour LED tubes, delicately suspended in the spaces of the North and South Halls and the Central Avenue of the Market Building.
Individually controllable pixels encased within the tubes display an ever-changing display of swirling snow, gently falling in organic real-world patterns, and providing possibly the only white Christmas London will see this year. Full visitor interactivity comes through a handy touch screen panel situated in the South Hall of the market building, so at certain times of the day, visitors can create their very own snow storms.
For a suggested minimum donation to Crisis of £1 for 2 minutes, come and interact and control the “Constellation” light installation daily at:
3.00pm – 3.30pm
4.30pm – 5.00pm
6.00pm – 6.30pm
7.30pm – 8.00pm
To avoid disappointment please collect your timed ticket from the attendant at the control box from 3.00pm – 8.00pm daily.
Besides their impressive live gig visuals for bands such as Basement Jaxx, Massive Attack and U2, UVA have also developed bespoke cultural installations and performances at some of London’s most famous venues, including ‘Echo’, an eight minute piece at the Tate Modern that combined live performance with dreamlike visuals and gained high praise from Britain’s art press. Arctic Monkeys fans will also be interested to know that UVA produced the video for the Sheffield rockers’ ‘Brianstorm’ track.
Given that Christmas lights invariably border on the irredeemably naff, visitors to Covent Garden this year get the sort of Christmas lights they deserve – a state-of-the-art show from one of Britain’s most creative powerhouses.