Bristol Light Festival will officially return in 2024. What is usually one of the darkest months of the year, the festival turned the city into a dazzling sight to behold back in February. Both internationally renowned artists and some of the South West’s best artistic talent were responsible for these luminous interactive installations. Lighting up some of Bristol’s most iconic spots.
Some of this year’s most striking installations included Scream the House Down by Marcus Lyall. The light installation was activated by people’s voices. Interpreting everyone’s voice differently and creating unique responses in a sea of colour over The Corn Exchange. While Illumaphonium’s Continuum invited visitors to traverse a maze of mirrored monoliths at the recently renovated and historic Temple Church.
But what if we said it could be you showing artwork at next year’s event? Bristol Light Festival is looking for artists to register their interest for 2024. More than 250,000 visitors are expected to attend next year’s event when it returns from February 2 to 11, 2024. So this is a unique chance to be part of something that has a reputation for show-stopping immersive experiences.
“At Bristol Light Festival we love to support artists and makers from all disciplines who are excited to bring their playful and radical ideas to light,” said Katherine Jewkes, Creative Director at Bristol Light Festival. “We’re looking for installations that will challenge our audiences and that will change the way our community both remembers and responds to our city spaces.”
Many amazing works at previous editions of the festival have come from open calls. So this is your chance to turn Bristol into your playground. Bristol Light Festival 2024 will celebrate artistic freedom and experimentation, providing a platform for artists to push boundaries. It is looking for light artists, painters, sculptors, architects, performers, or other artistic disciplines, to bring a unique perspective. While students and institutions are also invited to apply to collaborate.
The festival encourages applications to prioritise environmental sustainability and use green energy solutions in their design and practices. Plus, explore the potential for artwork reuse. The submission deadline is midnight on Friday, July 28 2023, with shortlisting set for August 18. Shortlisted artists will visit the festival site and engage in pre-production meetings from September to November.
Studio McGuire was picked for last year’s event, with its stunning and serene, life-size hologram of Ophelia from Shakespeare’s Hamlet. They said: “It was fantastic to be selected to exhibit at Bristol Light Festival. Having our installation projected in St Mary Redcliffe Church was so special and a real career highlight. Since exhibiting at Bristol Light Festival, we’ve had other cathedrals get in touch to enquire about hosting the hologram and some of our other flagship works, which is so encouraging to see.”
If you’re an out-of-the-box thinker or an unbelievable artist (hopefully both!) then this is the opportunity for you. Register your interest for Bristol Light Festival 2024 here.