Lumiere London 2018…..a feast for all the senses; at every turn we ventured with map in hand in search of the light. And we found it, in all it’s glistening glory dotted around London showcasing artists’ light shows that were not just for the tourists, but for Londoners….for all of us who haven’t walked down the road less travelled recently, this was an opportunity to see another facet of our city. A march along the streets we know so well, yet transformed into blobs and splashes of architectural colour and neon glitz.

We started at Trafalgar Square where we witnessed the mesmerising cloud of balloons by ‘Collectif Coin’ from France, a mix of haunting soundtrack and lighted balloons which flickered on and off in unison with the music. We couldn’t take our eyes off this installation as the balloons swayed in the freezing cold wind. After about 20 minutes we had to keep moving (our toes were falling off!) so we headed west to Westminster Abbey and there we were hit in the face by digital artist Patrice Warreners magnificent ‘The Light of the Spirit’ who brought the Abbey to life by projecting the most vivid colours onto the Great West Gate…it was like Gothic England meets Bollywood/Technicolour! The best thing my eyes have seen in a while. From there we paid homage to ‘My light is your light’, a tribute from artist Alaa Minawi to Syrian refugees as they migrate across the world and the installation of this haloed family as they walked with their heads down was incredibly powerful….there was a stillness around St Jame’s Churchyard to reflect the power behind the lit sculptures. We walked past Chris Plant’s ‘Harmonic Portal’ and then onto the Matisse inspired animation at the Royal Academy of Arts before ending up to Oxford Circus to see Miguel Chevalier’s ‘Origin of the World Bubble 2018’ (a massive globe in the middle of Oxford Street) It definitely was a colour saturated visual experience. I am kicking myself for going to Lumiere for one night only….it’s impossible! With installations dotted around Mayfair, Fitzrovia, Kings Cross, West End and Victoria it has to be done in stages, savoured and admired for the sheer brilliance and madness of what can be done to our sometimes age old structures in London. Next year there will be more indepth planning. I will download the map and make sure I give Lumiere the space and time it deserves. Commissioned by the Major of London, it really did shine a light on our magnificent city and incredible artists from around the world.