Illuminate Bath 2012 short documentary

Fantastic short film about Illuminate Bath by Artswork Media

Illuminate Bath 2012 in pictures

What an incredibly busy few weeks! Illuminate Bath 2012 was a tremendous success. The festival got busier and busier each night. We estimate that about 36,000 people attended the festival in total over the four evenings. We've had lots of great publicity and photos of the artworks have been enjoyed by people all around the world.

The best part of it for me was seeing so many people of all ages enjoying the artworks. It's hard to take it in at the time but there were a few precious moments when I stopped to look around me and I felt there was a magical and playful atmosphere. After nearly a year of planning it seems like it's gone in a flash. Thankfully there are loads of amazing photos on flickr to enjoy. It's also great to read lots of positive comments on twitter and facebook.

Catch Me Now by Tine Bech. Photograph by Andrew Welsher.

Part of Pulse by Bath Spa University students Tom Shuttleworth and Paul James. Photograph by Edward Lockyer.

 

Clockwork City - Under the grills, by Bath Spa University students Frances Jones and Joanne Wheeler with Enlightened Lighting, inspired by greyworld. Photograph by Edward Lockyer.

Frequency by Alex Cotterell, Will Kendrick, Lumen and OCD. Photograph by Edward Lockyer.

Clockwork City - Phone Box, by Bath Spa University students Pinn Bunyapana and Thomas Wells, inspired by greyworld. Photograph by Edward Lockyer.

People enjoying a projection on Stall Street. Photograph by Andrew Welsher.

20 days to go

Frequency by Alex Cotterell, Will Kendrick, Lumen and OCD. Photograph by Edward Lockyer.

Just under three weeks to go until Illuminate Bath. I'm so excited to see everything come together after all the planning and preparation. Predictably whenever I get busy with work I tend to neglect my blog. The festival  takes over and it's a struggle to keep up with my other projects. The next few weeks are likely to be a whirlwind of site meetings, risk assessments, finance and last minute issues to sort out.

I'm really proud of the programme that we've put together. I think the festival showcases a range of original, playful and accessible artworks, created by internationally renowned, as well as local artists, university students and Bath school children. We're working with a lot of student volunteers to deliver the festival. I hope that the experience will inspire them to get involved in more arts projects and events and organise their own in the future.

This photo above is of Frequency, a new light installation in the Roman Baths. The balcony area of the baths will open for audiences to view the artwork  for free on two nights. We're already getting some good media coverage, such as this article in Venue . Let's hope lots of people hear about the festival and brave the January weather to come to enjoy it.

Just over 3 months to go

Just over 3 months to go until Illuminate Bath at the end of January and there is a lot to organise. I'm probably not going to sleep well from now on because there is so much to think about. Tomorrow we're sending out a press release about the programme and our new website goes live so that's very exciting.

It's fantastic to see it all coming together. Not long ago in 2009 it started as an idea I was thinking about. Then other people began to get excited about it too and it just took off. The first festival in November 2010 was a great success and the 2012 festival is shaping up to be even better. Moving it to January means it will take place right at the start of Games year and I think concentrating everything into four evenings will help to generate a real buzz around Bath.