Love Light Norwich

Love Light Norwich took place on Thursday the 17th and Saturday the 19th of February; it was also scheduled for the Friday night, but Storm Eunice put a stop to that. I visited the event on the Saturday evening. Love Light Norwich first took place in 2020, so this was its return to the streets of Norwich and coincides with Valentine's Day week. The event ran from 5:30 in the evening until 10:00 with projections, performances, and a parade. Local shops, restaurants, bars, and cafes are also in on the fun with limited edition menu items, discounts, shop window displays, and more.

There were close to twenty different installations and performances to see, although not all of them took place on the same night. After having spent the majority of the past three months indoors, I was excited to get out to check it out. Storm Eunice's devestation the day before meant that some of the installations were moved, and some of the events were cancelled. 

"Marsh Ponies" by Sarah Cannell, Rachel Lond and Andy Jarrett

These two pony sculptures are inspired by the nature of the fens and the mystery of East Anglia. The two sculptures were meant to be lit on fire, but the weather was rainy. (Another one of the installations featured a video of the fiery ponies.)

"Mobile Light Grafitti" by Nikola Dicke

This installation featured and ever-changing artwork with live drawing being projected onto the walls and ceiling of a 14th-century church. The artist invites viewers to contribute to the piece by telling her what to draw. The artwork increases in size as the evening goes on.

"One Star Awake" by Laura Cannell and Kate Ellis

This installation was located inside the crypt in a church, and it featured the looping image of the burning "Marsh Ponies" installation mentioned earlier. This was set to music.

"Warm Heart" by Hamilton Art Sculptures

This was one of my favourite pieces as it was so different. It featured roses encased in clear ice blocks. The centrepiece was an ice block in the shape of a heart with a garland of pink and red hearts also in a heart shape. 

"Deafplur" by VJ Outlaw and Shaun Prickimage

A series of rotating images and words were projected onto the side of a building with the words repeated "Peace, love, unity, and respect". Each word cycled through an image relating to the word; sometimes this was the word spelled out. Other times, it was in sign language or an image representing the word. The installation is inspired by 1990s rave and neon. The installation allowed people to send in recordings in advance to have their words or imagery included in the show. 

"Macroscopic I" by Chris Plant

Inspired by the natural world, different images of flowers, leaves, seeds, feathers, and seeds are projected onto the side of a building. This project began during the first lockdown and was created using 1950s slide projectors.

"The Ghosts" by Studio Vertigo

Originally meant to be placed outdoors, the storm meant that they had to be put indoors. The installation features origami-styled cranes, which are a symbol of hope. The installation was inspired by the lockdown when animals roamed urban areas.

"Cupid's Castle" by Illuminos

The previous three photographs feature Norwich Castle and its installation projected onto the side, making the castle into a large artwork for the event. The projection features an animated Cupid flying around Norwich to find different objects to pair together, wuch as a pair of socks, flowers and bees. The projection is all about making connections and finding a perfect match and love.

"Our Beating Heart" by Studio Vertigo

This disco ball is in the shape of a heart. It adds light and colour, which is reflected into the surroundings. It slowly rotates.

"Wall of Love"

This block of plastic shimmered pink, blue, and green with light shining through it in the Forum.

"Into the Light" by Guildhall

The Forum ceiling has come to life with a projection of different photographs on the theme of new beginnings.

A few of the buildings in Norwich were illuminated as an unofficial part of the trail.

"The Celestial Sound Cloud" by Pif-Paf

This installtion suspended above encourages interaction of viewers who move and dance beneath it. It creates music when triggered by these movements. However, a few of us were trying to get it to react, but it seemed to be a bit broken as it was not responding much. Also, the ground beneath it was a muddy mess.

"Macroscopic II" by Chris Plant

This was the second installation of the same theme as described above and was projected onto the gazebo in the park. It is inspired by the natural world with images of nature projected onto screens. 

"Luminescence" by Kate Munro

Projected onto the Norwich Theatre Royal are a couple digital screens showcasing some work inspired by residents from Norwich care homes. 

"Make a Wish" by FSG

This projection on the wall of the department store is of a dandelion that has gone to seed. Its seeds move by lighting up.

"Luminous Pareidolia" by Nick Azidis

Norwich Cathedral has become a canvas for a large-scale projection. This same projection was shown in 2020, and different colours are projected onto the cathedral.

"River of Love" parade

In addition to the installations located across Norwich, a parade winded its way though the city and stopped at The Forum. The parade featured a large lobster, several hearts, fish, drummers, blowing bubbles, and a blue sheet. The theme was the sea and sea. The procession ended at the Forum where there was a small display of illuminated umbrellas and drummers. It was several people deep, so we were unable to watch what was going on.

That wraps it up for Norwich Love Light. Overall, I was a little bit disappointed in it as I'd been to better light shows before. The cathedral and castle had good projections on them, and the roses frozen in ice looked good. The rest of the installations were on the small scale, were not working properly, or were projected onto walls where you could not really see them too well. It was also disappointing with the weather that meant that some of the projections were not set up. However, I saw a lot of families and friends out enjoying the projections, so that counts for something.