Painting with Light - The Illuminated River

Forthcoming Chiswick Pier Trust talk by Sarah Gaventa

The Illuminated River copyright Leo Villareal Studio

Painting with Light - The Illuminated River is the title of a talk by Sarah Gaventa (RCA), Director, The Illuminated River Foundation, on Tuesday 26 March 2018 at Chiswick Pier Trust at 7.30 pm.

Work has begun on the Illuminated River, the longest public art commission in the world. The first four bridges; London, Cannon Street, Southwark and Millennium Bridges, will be illuminated in summer 2019. Working upstream, the next group of bridges will be completed next year, with the project due to be finished by 2022.

Designed to transform the capital with a unified light installation across central London's bridges, The Illuminated River will connect, celebrate and capture the spirit of the Thames and its diverse communities.

Incorporating up to 15 bridges, from Albert Bridge to Tower Bridge, once complete Illuminated River will be the longest public art commission in the world at 2.5 miles in length, along 4.5 nautical miles of the River Thames. It will be viewed over 200 million times each year.
Following an international competition in 2016, American light artist Leo Villareal (the artist responsible for lighting San Francisco's Bay Bridge) and London architects Lifschutz Davidson Sandilands won the commission. The jury was impressed with their kinetic artwork as well as their respect for the natural environment, local inhabitants and the architectural character and history of the bridges.

Villareal will use the latest LED technology to ‘paint with light’, taking influence from the natural and social activity of the river and producing sequenced patterns that play across the bridge structures. His lighting design will engage specifically with the site of each bridge, respecting and revealing their distinctive histories and architectural features, while the integrated motion across fifteen bridges will create a unified artwork that references the river as a continuous living system.

This talk is an opportunity to hear about one of the most exciting art projects in London.
Doors open at 7 pm. Chiswick Pier Trust, The Pier House, Corney Reach Way, W4 2UG. £3 for non-members, FREE for members.
Parking is free in nearby Pumping Station Road after 5 pm. Buses E3 or 190.

For further information on the Pier and how to get there, contact the Chiswick Pier Trust 020 8742 2713, or check their web site.

March 8, 2019