City ‘sticks’ with Spring art events
An invasion of stop-motion stick-figures will create a spectacle of light when a major art installation makes its first appearance in Scotland next month.
KEYFRAMES, delivered by Curated Place with French artists collective Groupe LAPS, has been named a key event in the 2016 Year of Innovation, Architecture and Design. It will be exhibited within Edinburgh’s St Andrew Square from 4 February to 28 March.
The 80 light sculptures will shine in sequence to an original musical composition to create the illusion of movement. The installation, which has been conceived to create an immersive experience, will invite people to wander through St Andrew Square to experience the space from different angles and in a new light.
This is the first time KEYFRAMES will be exhibited in Scotland following a UK debut in Durham at the 2013 Lumiere Festival. It has delighted thousands of people across the world from Singapore to Jerusalem, France, Spain and the Netherlands.
The exhibition, which is free, is being funded by the City of Edinburgh Council and EventScotland with the support of Marketing Edinburgh and Essential Edinburgh.
Councillor Richard Lewis, Edinburgh’s Festivals and Events Champion, said: “When KEYFRAMES opens next month, the experience of wandering through St Andrew Square will be like entering an enchanting stop-motion animation.
“This is public art which can be enjoyed by all ages and the impressive display will illuminate the night sky. It will bring the city centre to life during the transition from winter into spring and, going by the success of 2014’s Field of Light and last year’s Light Fantastic project, I’m sure it will draw an impressive footfall and support our city’s evening economy.”
Groupe LAPS is best known for animating public spaces, marrying art with technology by pooling light, sound, and multimedia to create public art.
Speaking about the opportunity to present the artwork within Edinburgh, Thomas Veyssiere from Groupe LAPS said: “The most exciting thing about installing KEYFRAMES in St Andrew Square is that it will be a long and immersive form. Our lighting puppets will inhabit the square for two months. Rather than offering one point of view, visitors who walk through the Square will naturally discover different actions and see and hear funny things. Sound will envelop the whole area and entice visitors to get closer to the installation.”
Culture Secretary Fiona Hyslop said: “The Year of Innovation, Architecture and Design is now underway and we have an exciting array of events planned to showcase Scotland’s spirit of invention and creativity.
“KEYFRAMES is a fantastic example of what will be on offer during the year. The installation will bring a busy part of our nation’s capital to life and, as a free event, gives everyone the opportunity to participate and experience the architecture and environment of St Andrew Square in a new and different light.”
Roddy Smith, Chief Executive of Essential Edinburgh, added: “We are delighted to support a project in St Andrew Square that promises to be a stunning addition to the city centre. KEYFRAMES is something that will draw and delight local people and visitors alike, and add to the ambience of the city centre well into the New Year.”
This will be the third consecutive year the city council has lit St Andrew Square in spring. Bruce Munro’s Field of Light saw the gardens transformed into a field of swaying, colourful spheres in 2014.
Then, in 2015 – after six weeks and over a thousand tweets to change the colour of the Melville Monument -, Edinburgh’s interactive Light Fantastic installation in St Andrew Square glared red on its final night in support of Nepal.