July 17, 2019 launched Phase One of Illuminated River, a site-specific light artwork addressing central London’s iconic bridges, presented by the Illuminated River Foundation.

The Illuminated River project has been developed through a collaboration between the Rothschild Foundation, the Mayor of London, and a large number of local stakeholders. When completed in 2022, Illuminated River will span up to 15 bridges, from the Tower Bridge to the Albert Bridge, forming a sculptural and symbolic link along the River Thames. On Wednesday last week the first group of four bridges was unveiled for London and the world to see. London Bridge, Cannon Street Bridge, Southwark Bridge, and Millennium Bridge now feature new energy-efficient LED fixtures and site-specific sequencing conceived by Leo Villareal, and will be realised in phases because of its complexity.

The original brief called for ‘ideas to transform the capital with a unified kinetic light installation across Central London’s bridges that would connect, celebrate and capture the spirit of the Thames and its diverse communities.’

Artist Leo Villareal’s answer was to unify the bridges and the north and south banks of the river, and join them as a single large-scale, undulating, connected, kinetic artwork. Each bridge has a custom authoring platform to create sequenced patterns. The patterns – abstract, organic, and gently kinetic – take inspiration from the natural and social activities of the river. The resulting artwork engages specifically with each bridge, respecting and revealing its own distinct history, while connecting the four together into a single, coherent whole.

To achieve the site-specific artwork, Villareal and his team have spent three years in collaboration with London-based architectural firm Lifschutz Davidson Sandilands designing the system. In selecting the lighting fixtures most suitable for each bridge, Villareal considered many factors, including the surrounding ecosystems, the needs of local inhabitants, and the architectural character of the bridges.

In 2016, Futurecity assembled a project team for the Illuminated River Competition. The context for this distinctive approach was informed by Futurecity’s previous cultural strategic work with districts along the Thames, including The London Bridge Quarter (now known as Shard Quarter); Placemaking Principles for Nine Elms on the Southbank; Blackfriars Central (Southwark Theatre District); and Albert Embankment. This work provided valuable knowledge of the areas’ local plans and greater London ambitions. The deep awareness of and sensitivity towards the natural environment, public space and architectural heritage in the original brief has remained at the core of Illuminated River Foundation’s delivery.

The OJEU competition attracted 105 submissions from around the globe, to be considered by an interdisciplinary selection panel. Congratulations to the whole winning proposal collaborative team that included: (Lead Artist) Leo Villareal, (Lead Consultant) Lifschutz Davidson Sandilands, under the curation of Futurecity & Pace under the collaboration FuturePace, Atelier Ten, Beckett Rankine, Bradley Hemmings, Core Five, Greenwich+Docklands International Festival, MBNA Thames Clippers, Montagu Evans, Pentagram, Price & Myers.

It is a testament to London’s ambition to allow an artist to lead such an extraordinary collaborative effort and Futurecity is honoured to have been an early contributor.

https://illuminatedriver.london