While Christmas may be over, London’s light trails certainly aren’t, and alongside the return of Canary Wharf’s light festival this month, Southbank is also welcoming back its own glowing display.
Running from Thursday, January 8 until Sunday, January 18, the free light trail will take place along Level 2 of the Riverside Terrace, illuminating the riverside at Southbank Centre with a series of striking light-based artworks.
Set up by the Southbank Centre, visitors can wander through the trail at their own pace, with organisers recommending after-dark visits for the full effect, although the installations can be viewed whenever the site is open.
The trail features works from artists like Samia Halaby, David Batchelor, Rafaël Rozendaal, France-Lise McGurn, Jakob Kvist, Nathaniel Rackowe, Lee Broom, Liz West, Otecki and Squire & Partners.
Each artist uses light and colour in playful and immersive ways, whilst exploring themes at the forefront of society, including identity, the environment and technology.
Among the highlights is Jakob Kvist’s Dichroic Sphere, a glowing geodesic dome that shifts colour depending on the angle of light, and David Batchelor’s Sixty Minute Spectrum, which transforms parts of the site into a giant colour clock cycling through the entire visual spectrum each hour.
Along the Thames-side trees opposite the Royal Festival Hall, Nathaniel Rackowe’s Desire Lines explores the relationship between people, movement and urban space using bands of light.
Lee Broom’s Beacon invites visitors to pause beneath a chandelier-inspired installation that pulses on the hour as Big Ben strikes chimes.
Interactive elements can also be found in Liz West’s Hymn to the Big Wheel, an octagonal structure of layered transparent panels that shift and blend colour as visitors walk through it.
Adding a touch of nostalgia, neon installations by France-Lise McGurn transform the riverside into something resembling a nightclub frontage.
Rafaël Rozendaal’s digitally generated animations bring gallery walls to life with playful, ever-moving patterns.
The trail also includes Winter Windows, a collaborative project between Squire & Partners and Southbank Centre, showcasing neon designs created by schoolchildren from Lambeth and transformed into a bespoke light installation.
Visitors can explore the artworks using a digital map available on the Southbank Centre website, along with a behind-the-scenes tour of the public art using the Bloomberg Connects app.
The Southbank light trail is free to visit and runs from January 8 to January 18 offering a free activity to do this January in London.
