Page 165 - Guildhall Coverage Book 2020-21

subtle display of slowly moving light sequences, joining the four bridges
already lit in 2019.

Completing on time and on budget despite constant challenges,
including Covid-19 restrictions, Illuminated River will transform the
Thames at night, offering a cultural experience that is open air, free to
view and accessible to all. With no ticketing or queuing, this
monumental installation provides the public with the opportunity to
enjoy the architectural beauty of London’s bridges and gain an
understanding of their relationship with the river flowing beneath them.

Spanning the cultural, financial and political stretches of the Thames,
the launch marks the culmination of five years’ work by the Illuminated
River Foundation. The installation is the result of a collaborative
initiative bringing together an American artist and a British architecture
practice plus 18 specialist teams. Illuminated River’s extensive network
of more than 50 stakeholders and project partners includes seven
London boroughs, Transport for London and Network Rail, as well as
organisations such as Historic England, the London Wildlife Trust and
the Royal National Lifeboat Institution.

Funded almost exclusively by donations from four major benefactors,
the ambitious project demonstrates an unprecedented level of
harmonious collaboration across the disciplines of art, design, lighting,
technology, planning and construction, informed by expertise including
ecology, sustainability and civil engineering. To share learning from the
project for the benefit of all, the Foundation is making its extensive and
unique research freely available as a public resource.

To celebrate the completion of this significant chapter, a public
engagement programme for 2021 will be launched by the Illuminated
River Foundation, creating new and innovative evening activities for
different audiences (in line with potential tier restrictions). A number of
digital initiatives will form part
of the programme, including a
second collaboration with the
Guildhall School of Music and
Drama, where student
composers are creating new
music inspired by the bridges
and the artwork, which will be
free to download.

Villareal’s vision is to create a
unified series of evocative
lighting installations across the
bridges, reflecting their cultural
and historical contexts. His
approach draws on the spirit of
Impressionist and English
Romantic artists such as Monet
and Whistler, who when