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Light Fantastic was a competition proposal for a site specific and festive light installation on Oxford Street in Central London. The design comprised of a series of kinetic-appearing ‘events’ which were to interact directly with their immediate architectural surroundings, breaking from the traditional static formality of Christmas lights.
The proposal was a dynamic visual narrative played out along Oxford Street and its wider area. The protagonists, formed of illuminated celestial figures, appear somersaulting and leaping through the skies, unconstrained by gravity. These playful, joyful figures, appear frozen in motion, dancing and leaping from building to building.
Giant snowballs, illuminated and abstract in form, appear frozen in mid air and mid flight between these dancing figures. Elsewhere other snowballs are caught upon ‘impact’ where they appear to explode into hundreds of glittering fragments. The snowballs form ribbons of light which arc and weave their way through the city. These illuminated motion trails connect the entire length of Oxford Street, drawing spectators irresistibly into the scene as it unfolds. These illuminated ribbons act as wayfinding, highlighting key gateway’s to the area through a higher density of motion arcs and playful figures, indicating points of arrival and departure for spectators’ and shoppers’.
For a ‘Reveal Moment’ we have propose video projection in an immersive centrepiece in Oxford Circus. Here at the installation’s epicentre we propose projecting onto the four architectural facades that enclose the Circus. The installations snowball ‘impacts’, ribbons and dancing figures will be augmented with projected animations of ice particles in motion. This 360 immersive experience will enveloping our spectators and visitors, drawing them into the heart of the Light Fantastic, with the festive scene playing out above.
Title: Light Fantastic
Location: London
Year: 2019
Type: Arts
Client: New West End Company
Status: Competition
Designed in collaboration with erm.
