Canary Wharf is famous for its Winter Lights installations which lighten up the dark winter’s night, in contrast the new Summer Lights installations celebrates natural light across the Canary Wharf estate.
The Summer Lights exhibition features eleven new artworks that illustrate the natural light and the power of the sun’s rays.
On a warm sunny day, I wandered around to look at the installations.
Circle of Light Spectrum by toyStudio, Cabot Square
Circle of Light [Spectrum] is an exploration of the hidden nature of the sun in our natural environment. The installation expresses the many colours which make up sunlight and the visual spectrum, mapping them into an arc defined by the position of the sun at sunrise and sunset.
Hymn to the Big Wheel by Liz West, Wren Landing
Hymn to the Big Wheel is an immersive sculptural work exploring the illusion and physicality of colour and natural light in space. Consisting of a multicoloured octagon nestled within a larger octagonal shape, this work encourages the viewer to reposition and align themselves to differing colourways to see a changing scope of colours mixing before their eyes.
Whirl by Helena Doyle X Tom Cherry & Temple, Cubitt Steps
Whirl transforms the wind into a dynamic dance of colour and light. The audience is invited to sit beneath the domed structure, relax and enjoy the mesmerising light show overhead. Whirl aims to showcase the beauty and versatility of wind power and inspire the audience to imagine a future powered by renewable energy.
Out of the Cocoon by Amberlights, Wood Wharf
Out of the Cocoon is a colourful, interactive seating installation that can be admired both from afar and up close. As you walk around the structure see how the colours change before your eyes. The giant butterfly wings symbolise the new life that emerges.
Kilpi by toyStudio, Wood Wharf
Kilpi is the third installation in a series of sculptures by toyStudio inspired by traditional Nordic Sami huts and places of shelter in their most basic form. The installation’s intricate perforations are based on celestial maps and represent the constellations found in the skies above Canary Wharf.
Round and Round by Martin Richman, Jubilee Park
Round and Round brings the Jubilee Park ponds to life, creating a lively space full of reflecting and refracting shapes and colours. As the circles turn in the sun and wind, they create moving shapes illuminating everything around them, casting visually rich patterns of coloured light responding to the weather and the artificial illuminations within its orbit.
Summer Cloud We Dream Of You by Tine Bech Studio, Cabot Square
Summer Cloud invites you to dream and see the world around you. This playful work reflects both visitors and the world around us. The cloud is the perfect metaphor for our age. It’s shape-shifting qualities can inspire hope not only representing the idea of change but symbolising the human ability to dream.
Shine your Colours by Tine Bech Studio, Riverside
Shine your Colours is a multifaceted artwork that allows visitors to see themselves and the world through different colours. The installation consists of 6 transparent coloured glass panels that create a space focusing on wellbeing, where people can meet, relax and reflect.
Ocean Rise by Aphra Shemza, Riverside
Ocean Rise is a mixed reality sculpture that highlights the rise in sea levels due to global warming. Built using sustainable material the shape of the artwork emulates a wave in the ocean and is accompanied by a bespoke soundscape featuring field recordings of waves crashing on the shore created by the sound artist Mowgli, these can be accessed via a QR code.
Hidden Garden by Hugh Turvey, Crossrail Place Roof Garden
Hidden Garden is a scientific representation of flora, using the medium of x-ray imaging to highlight the hidden architectural structures within the subjects. Each image will cover a theme including sustainability, habitat, pollinators and medicinal, each captioned explaining either the science, research or statistics behind the image.
Kaleidoscopic Prisms by Fiona Grady, Jubilee Place, viewed from Jubilee Park
Kaleidoscopic Prisms by Fiona Grady is inspired by the children’s toy, combining a palette of rainbow transparent vinyl triangles that dance across the glass surface of the Jubilee atrium.
After lockdown, many people are enjoying the freedom to roam around and enjoy the fine weather, the installations provide a good reason to wander around Canary Wharf and enjoy the summer sun
Isle of Dogs Life 