Every year during the pre-Christmas period, many places in London are decorated festively and adorned with lavish Christmas lighting. In Oxford Street alone, more than half a million LEDs light up during this season. Regent Street is also bathed in atmospheric light every year. The Belgian company ACT lighting designers have been responsible for the glittering atmosphere in winter 2015/2016.
On behalf of the British Crown Estate, they designed an 800-metre-long combination of light, video projection, LED screens and art objects at a height of nine to ten metres. A specially composed piece of music was played by a philharmonic orchestra for the opening, accompanied by a programmed sequence of light, video animations and projections.
Over a period of seven weeks, they lit up the busy street every evening with projections entitled ‘Timeless Elegance’. The content was realised by the Brussels designers with a touch of the avant-garde, in such a way that visitors could recognise in the sculpture the brand values of the surroundings, as well as time as a seeming luxury commodity.
Enormous, symbolic cogs and clockwork springs served as a projection surface, with illuminated garlands like lametta strung between them to connect the five large parts of the overall festive lighting. During the presentation, which was repeated hourly, viewers discovered crystalline structures, golden dust and clockwork, as well as gift boxes and Christmas wishes, which turned the shopping street into a decorated ‘golden path’ over the festive period.
The heart of installation is a challenging lighting scheme with a custom created combination of video projections, dynamic pixels, tinsels of light and LED screens integrated in the decoration. Every hour, visitors can watch an exclusive compilation of video projections and programmed lights that bring the sculpture to life. This ambitious dynamic installation is designed to evolve in time, reflect the brand values of Regent Street and convey its atmosphere of glamour during the festive period.
Client: The Crown Estate & Regent Street Association
Principal Designer: Koert Vermeulen – ACTLD
Artistic Director: Julie Boniche – ACTLD
Assistant Designer: Cristina Martinez – ACTLD
Location: United Kingdom, London
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