Edinburgh is set to dazzle next month with the launch of Edinburgh Lumen, a stunning immersive visual and sound display that will brighten up the city centre’s dark winter nights.
![Ocean of light](https://i0.wp.com/www.edinburgh.gov.uk/images/Ocean_of_Light_2_credit_Aeolian_Light__Quays_Culture.jpg?w=660)
Creating an aura of calm, the three unique installations will transform St Andrew Square, Assembly Rooms Lane and The Mound Precinct, into zen-like portals of tranquillity from 8 February to 11 March.
Serenity Gardens will turn the green space of St Andrew Square into a peaceful haven with a bespoke lighting design touching every corner of the garden – from the trees and water features, to the flowerbeds and shrubbery. Accompanied by calming music, it will make for a peaceful escape, in the heart of the city centre.
Just off George Street, down the west lane of the Assembly Rooms, locals and visitors will find a spot to take five for themselves, in Moments Lane. Three tranquil animated scenes projected on to the lane’s walls will captivate the imagination of passersby.
The lane will be aglow with a countryside scene, complete with chirping birds and gently swaying trees and grass, joined by a coral reef paradise, submersing viewers in the peace and calm of the deep. Finally, a third scene of a clear dark night, crowned by the most beautiful phenomenon in nature, the Aurora Borealis.
The final show-stopping installation will transform Edinburgh’s Mound like never before, with a large immersive walkthrough light experience, set to create countless Instagram moments. Over five metres high and made up of 12,000 individual suspended lights, Ocean of Lightmeasures 9 x 9 metres, having been designed by multi-award-winning Squidsoup, for people to walk through and interact.
Created and produced by NL Productions for the City of Edinburgh Council, Edinburgh Lumen celebrates the city in a more peaceful and reflective mood, complementing the city’s busy summer and December festivals. It will provide a unique experience for locals and visitors to enjoy for free during the dark winter nights.
Councillor Donald Wilson, Culture and Communities Convener for the City of Edinburgh Council, said: “Combining the peaceful beauty of Field of Light with the playfulness of 2016’s stick figures and Edinburgh’s Georgian Shadows, Edinburgh Lumen is our most ambitious light display yet.
“As the home of art and culture all year round, these unique pieces of public art have been specially designed for the landscape and for the people of Edinburgh to enjoy. They promise to adorn the city centre with a constellation of lights to guide us into spring and I am sure the artwork will draw an impressive footfall.”
John Donnelly, Chief Executive of Marketing Edinburgh, said: “Edinburgh has a cultural calendar to admire, filled with world class festivals and celebrated traditions. The addition of Edinburgh Lumen will give locals and visitors even more reasons to shout about the city that’s constantly innovating.
“We always want to give the people of Edinburgh even more reasons come into the city centre and enjoy its vibrant retail, culture and restaurant offering. This tranquil yet enchanting lighting event will do just that. Spread over three city centre locations, locals and visitors can weave in and out of the immersive experiences that are set to light up the dark nights”.
Free to attend, Edinburgh Lumen will be lighting up the city every evening from 8 February to 11 March 2018.
For more information visit: www.edinburgh.org