First wave of artists for light festival announced

The first wave of artists for a free light festival have been announced.

Bristol Light Festival, which includes light-up installations and saw 275,000 visitors in 2024, will run across the city from 31 January to 9 February.

The artists include Air Giants, Illumaphonium and Bruce Munro.

Katherine Jewkes, creative director of Bristol Light Festival, said: "It’s always an honour to showcase such incredible talent, and this year is certainly no exception.”

"Air Giants, Illumaphonium and Bruce Munro all have strong connections to Bristol and celebrate the broad and varied talent which is nurtured in the south west and celebrated around the globe," she added.

The festival, which is run by Bristol City Centre Business Improvement District (BID) and delivered in partnership with Redcliffe & Temple BID, was recently shortlisted in the Tourism Event/Festival of the Year category in the Bristol Bath and Somerset Tourism Awards.

Making its world premiere The Whilers by Bristol-based team Air Giants will include interactive pneumatically-controlled robotic creations with non-verbal sounds and language to communicate with one another.

Emma Powell of Air Giants, said: “Bristol is a city of such community and connection and that is exactly what we want to capture with these creatures."

Bruce Munro's Ramandu's Table will showcase nature through an installation of a flock of white flamingos, illuminated with an array of continually changing dawn hues.

Artist, Bruce Munro, who studied fine arts at Bristol Polytechnic, said his return to the city was "a full-circle moment".

Returning for the second time, Gemma Mills of Illumaphonium, who will be showcasing their piece Somnius, said: “This is our most ambitious project to date, combining a quarter of a million light pixels and 970 sound bars, all of which have been soldered by hand."

Locations for the Bristol Light Festival will be announced at a later date.

Follow BBC Bristol on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630.