Canary Wharf launches Connected by Light

Connected by Light, a vibrant collection of inspiring light artworks, is set to captivate Londoners this December and January. Igniting the sky through vivid displays, this curation of artwork exudes warm glows, subtle hues and expressive colours – all beneath the setting of the Canary Wharf skyline.

Spanning nine-weeks, the collection of nine light artworks showcases the intricate work of UK artists, and affords visitors the opportunity for moments of calm and reflection. Lighting the path into the new year, Connected by Light provides the perfect opportunity for an evening of escapism.

The exhibit is complemented by a further eight light art pieces which are part of Canary Wharf’s public art collection. Over 75 pieces by 50 world-renowned artists are situated on the Estate, free to visitors all year round.

Careful steps have been taken to ensure that winter activities at Canary Wharf can be enjoyed in a Covid-secure manner, and Connected by Light is no different, with light works found glowing across the Estate’s parks, gardens, squares and open spaces. Ensuring visitors have plenty of opportunity to enjoy them, some installations can be viewed at any time of day, while others will come to life after dark. Visit after dusk to see the pieces at their mesmerising best.

Visitors should download the Connected by Light map from CanaryWharf.com ahead of their visit to see the locations of the artworks and create their own journey around the installations. Those in need of warming refreshments or some retail therapy, can visit one of Canary Wharf’s hundreds of bars, shops and restaurants open during their visit.

Canary Wharf’s annual Winter Lights festival, which attracts over 400,000 visitors each year, will look to return in the future. In the meantime, Connected by Light is set to spark Londoners’ winter evenings into life.

NEW LIGHT INSTALLATIONS

1. Telling a story across the paths of Jubilee Park, The Stories Under Our Feet, by Elisa Artesero, is a poetry experience like no other. Disappearing text falls from beneath the benches, clustering into poems that paint the path beneath. The words encourage visitors to contemplate and connect, as they wander through the collection of illuminated verses.
2. The sky is the limit for Connected by Light, as part of Canary Wharf’s recognisable skyline is transformed into a beautiful beacon of light for the exhibition. Newfoundland, the newest residential addition on the Estate, hosts Hawthorn’s Newfoundland Reflections, a piece which is visible from the City. The 60-story tower is transformed into a glowing spectacle, reflecting onto the dark waters below.
3. Neon Tree, also by Hawthorn, intertwines the forces of technology and nature, as bare branches from the natural structure are coiled with shining neon. Visit during the day to see its subtle glow or visit at night to witness the colours shine in all their glory.
4. Splashing the paths of Westferry Circus, Tetra Park, by Mandylights, is an exploration of colour progression, displayed over the floor in geometric forms. At points, the shades seem to be working in collaboration, before merging into an unruly mix of captivating chaos.
5. Also featuring from Mandylights is Colour Cubed – a single light source that creates a kaleidoscopic display of energetic light, through an innovative coloured glass technique. The artwork envelopes the senses of those who view it and inspires a creativity and joyousness fit to lighten the darkest of evenings.
6. With 2020 defined by working from home, Office Party, by Parker Heyl, plays with fantasy and imagination to create a workspace coming to life in the absence of its worker. Flickering blinds, partnered with office like structures adapting to the needs of its inhabitants, create a playful picture of a living, breathing workspace.
7. Artistic duo, Baker & Borowski, apply their own personal spin to Lewis Carroll’s iconic Alice in Wonderland, to create Curious Fluorious. The impressive sculpture-like pieces dominate the space with an enchanting glow, creating a selfie-perfect backdrop for visitors who visit the installation.
8. Elsewhere, Squidsoup returns to the Estate to decorate Montgomery Square with Murmuration. Several hundred luminous orbs dance in a synergy of light and sound, all connected through a channel of data that pass through this shimmering network. Named after the captivating flight patterns of a group of starlings, the artwork’s lights, and trance-like sounds, navigate through the orbs and the space of the iconic Square.
9. Bringing the past into the present, Ghost Trees, from Tom Wilkinson reimagines an extraordinary historic event that was discovered during the construction of the East India Docks in 1970. Evidence shows that remains of a great subterranean forest laid here before its construction, but curiously the trees showed signs of being swept southward by a great force of unexplained nature. The glowing LED rings across the surface represent where these mysterious trees would have originally lived under the docks.