LightPool Festival Guide 2016

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Festival Info

GOODBYE COCO

North Pier Billboard FY1 1NE

Old Jesuit Chapel, Sacred Heart Church FY1 1LB

IMAGINE PEACE: LOVE YOKO

HUB Info Point

MICHAEL TRAINOR (2004)

Never before seen in public, this is a coffin for a fictional clown bedecked with 540 programmed fairground lights, and made precisely to fit the artist himself.

Whether the piece is sad or funny, is entirely up to you!

PARTS OF A LIGHT HOUSE

YOKO ONO (2016)

YOKO ONO (1966)

IMAGINE PEACE (2016) is an update of Ono’s billboards reworked in film, created in conjunction with Art Production Fund and Times Square Arts in several versions from 2012 onwards. The film displays the words IMAGINE PEACE in 24 languages against a background of blue sky and clouds.

This classic light art installation sits in the nave of Blackpool’s Sacred Heart Church, refracting light from its magnificent octagonal roof through tetrahedral prisms in kaleidoscopic shards to form a dazzlingly beautiful house made from beams of light, as per Ono’s original script.

North Pier Screen | 4 mins

Sacred Heart Church, FY1 1LB

SALVAGE SIDESHOW HANNAH FOX (2016)

28 October - 2 November 5.30pm - 10.30pm

NEON: The Charged Line is open at the Grundy 28/10 11-7, 29/10 11-7, 30/10 10-5, 31/10 closed, 1/11 10-5, 2/11 10-7

Abingdon Street FY1 1DE

First built in the 60s to advertise a milk bar in Warsaw, Olowska’s winking neon connects two places and two moments in time.

Peacock was created in the 1990s as a feature of the legendary Blackpool illuminations. Originally displayed as part of a four-piece tableau, it was saved when severe storm damage caused the original piece to be destroyed.

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IMAGINE PEACE Ono created IMAGINE PEACE in New York in 2001 in response to the World Trade Centre tragedy.

The series, from one of the world’s leading contemporary artists and social activists, frames the intention behind the LightPool Festival to explore the themes of light, love and peace.

PAULINA OLOWSKA (2010)

Coastal House FY1 1DG

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WINTER GARDENS

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Tourist Info

YOKO ONO

Newly interpreted for LightPool 2016, light and shadow poems magically emerge from underneath Blackpool’s Victoria Street benches.

BLACKPOOL ILLUMINATIONS

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Two new works that reference ‘Progress’: Blackpool’s borough motto. Plenty and progress, inspired by Claudegen’s 1930s neon designs, illuminates Blackpool Town Hall - a symbol for development and prosperity. Nearby on popworld, What use is life without progress? reflects unreasonable pressures for selfimprovement.

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North Promenade & Town Hall FY1 1RA

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MARK TITCHNER (2016)

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PLENTY AND PROGRESS & WHAT USE IS LIFE WITHOUT PROGRESS

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A collection of illluminated windsocks, which together resemble the bahaviour of flocks of birds. Pullig worked with the residents of King Edward Ave in North Shore and seamster Joe Booth. Commissioned for LightPool 2016.

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LAURA PULLIG (2016)

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Victorian Shelter, Cenotaph FY1 1NE

Queen’s Square FY1 1QU

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STEVE MESSAM (2016)

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Ruby - animated self-portrait exploring the idea of rebirth and illustrating the transfer of energy from one incarnation to another. Santiago - animated self-portrait exploring human evolution and a projection of future. Are we now the bridge between the born and the made?

PEACOCK

ST JOHN’S SQUARE

BIRLEY ST

GRAND THEATRE

ELISA ARTESERO (2015)

Old Post Office FY1 1DA

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The most extensive exhibition of neon-based artwork to have been held in the UK to date. Featuring some of the most iconic artists and artworks produced in the medium over the last 50 years including Tracey Emin, Joseph Kosuth and Gavin Turk.

ORIA VICT

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Grundy Art Gallery FY1 1PU Open til 7pm 28/29 Oct & 2 Nov, Open til 5pm on 30 Oct

WHEN THE RED ROSE IN BLACKPOOL

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NEON: THE CHARGED LINE (EXHIBITION)

Jo Berry has reinterpreted five fluted pylons with themes taken from the Illuminations’ original 1930s collection.

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Hidden in plain sight, Bump suggests a hidden bar or club at the rear entrance of the Grundy.

JO BERRY (2012)

Promenade FY1 1NE

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PREM SAHIB (2013)

Grundy Art Gallery FY1 1PU

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Tim Etchells uses words to spark odd thoughts – what ‘this’ should we pretend to forget?

FLUTED PYLONS

Wrapping a piece of architectural heritage of this famous resort in a protective bubble, is artist Steve Messam’s playful and surreal celebration of Blackpool’s unique seaside heritage. Commissioned by Marketing Lancashire. #redrose

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Grundy Art Gallery FY1 1PU

CLIFTON ST

A simple but heart-breaking response to the loneliest bench in town. New commission for LightPool 2016.

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TIM ETCHELLS (2014)

Single Bench FY1 1NE

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LET’S PRETEND (LARGE)

NORTH PIER

TIO ONA

7 fixtures. 7 fittings. 7 beams. 7 colours. The Illuminations team work with the number seven to light one of the town’s standout art-deco buildings, formerly the Odeon Cinema and now home to Funny Girls, the town’s most glamorous, long-running show.

ELISA ARTESERO (2016)

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Funny Girls FY1 2AX

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Abingdon Street FY1 1DE

Salvage Sideshow: a rusty, beaten up Punch and Judy booth stands dripping with water on the pavement. Commissioned for LightPool Festival.

THE STORIES UNDER OUR FEET

EMMA ALLEN

WORKERS CANTEEN (BAR MLECZNY)

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BLACKPOOL ILLUMINATIONS (2016)

More than 30 drawing of children, made with light, appear in the windows of the former New Ocean Hotel; including 3 new works by the children of Blackpool’s Revoe Academy. The building will soon open as an Art B&B, in a project led by LeftCoast.

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Art B&B Promenade FY1 1RJ

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Visit an intense, 16ft thundercloud created with over 6000 individual lights.

RON HASELDEN (ONGOING, 2007-)

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Unit 2B, Bickerstaffe House FY1 3AZ | 5 mins

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ITHACA VISUAL (2015)

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THE STORM

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BROTHERS AND SISTERS

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Illuminated words hang at eye-catching locations around the town centre. Bob and Roberta Smith will also lead a public discussion on the power of art to drive social change on Fri 28 Oct. Commissioned by LeftCoast and Blackpool Illuminations for LightPool 2016. Supported by Coastal Communities Fund and Arts Council England.

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Bickerstaffe House, Ma Kelly’s North, Central Library, Clifton St, Viva Blackpool

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BOB AND ROBERTA SMITH (2016)

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ART IS YOUR HUMAN RIGHT

GRAND METROPOLE HOTEL

BLACKPOOL NORTH

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A group of diffracted beings will guide you through a darkened passage. New commission for LightPool 2016.

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ILLUMINATIONS TABLEAUX

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EMMA ALLEN (2016)

North Station Underpass FY1 2AB

The façade of Springfield Road Market is transformed into a continuously modifying audio visual artwork modelled on atomic scale patterns.

New for Ligthpool 2016 and supported by Arts Council of Wales.

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LIGHT LESSONS

Springfield Road FY1 1QU

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Visitors to Blackpool North will be greeted with some favourite illuminations from the archive.

RONAN DEVLIN (2016)

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North Station FY1 2AB

RUBY (2013) & SANTIAGO (2016)

IN FLOW NO. 2

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BLACKPOOL ILLUMINATIONS

VIRTUAL DJ: LIVE ON BRILLIANCE

Birley Street FY1 1DU

Students from London Guildhall’s BA in Video Design for Live Performance imagine a DJ to add to the Brilliance arches. This partnership with LightPool is an example of how Blackpool can be a playground to test new light work.

THE MUSICAL PERISCOPE

REACTIFY (2016)

NR Comedy Carpet FY1 1AP

An immersive installation

by Reactify, a unique music production company founded by London-based Yuli Levtov. In Blackpool for its UK premier.

TOWER PROJECTIONS

Lightpool Village FY1 5BB 4 x 9 min shows

Synthesising light as well as sound, state of the art video mapping technology will bring you a once in a lifetime experience. New for 2016 include commissions from Czech digital art collective The Macula, UK-based Projection Studio and a collaboration between Cecile Llewelyn-Bowen and her father, Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen. Enjoy from the newly designed LightPool Village on the Comedy Carpet.

BRAIN CONTAINER JO BERRY (2014)

Victoria Street FY1 4BJ

Victoria Street FY1 4TE

THE SPACEMAN

BLACKPOOL ILLUMINATIONS

Victoria Street FY1 4TE

Originally created in 1970, the year after the first moonlandings. The spaceman was re-engineered in 2012 as part of the centenary celebrations of Blackpool Illuminations.

CATHEDRAL OF MIRRORS

MADS CHRISTENSEN (2015) Winter Gardens FY1 1HW

12 towering columns of light respond to movement, creating an immersive environment. From LA-based light artist Mads Christensen and commissioned by Quays Culture at MediaCityUK.

ROUND GRADIENT REMIX

LIZ WEST (2016)

Winter Gardens Dome FY1 1HW

British artist Liz West transforms the iconic dome at the Winter Gardens, inspired by the principal of a spatial colour wheel and based on Isaac Newton’s first circular diagram of colour in 1666. Enabled in partnership with light manufacturer and innovator Lumenpulse. Commissioned for the LightPool Festival.

POP MANDALA UMBRELLAS

BEN ALLEN (2016)

Winter Gardens Canopy FY1 1HW

Influential pop, street and contemporary artist Ben Allen has reimagined gobo designs to illuminate 16 umbrellas to adorn the Winter Gardens façade. Commissioned for LightPool 2016.

FINAL FLEET

NOMAD CLAN (2016)

King Street FY1 3AD

The UK’s premier street art crew, Manchester-based duo Nomad Clan created this tribute to the once fruitful but now diminishing fishing industry in and around Blackpool and Fleetwood. Part of Sand, Sea and Spray, Blackpool’s celebration of urban art.

ECHELLE

RON HASELDEN (2000)

St Johns Church FY1 1BP

Originally commissioned for the Salisbury Festival, this iconic Lit, moving art made up of 36 10m neon ladder appears to be cast acrylic discs, housed in a a stairway to heaven. customised cargo container.

Berry worked in collaboration with Dr. Lena FREE guided festival tours 6pm and 9pm daily.

Palaniyappan to create this series from neuroimaging data used to understand mental illness. Meet under ‘ART’ (3a) at Bickerstaffe House FY1 3AH Sound by Angela Slater and poem by Morghan For more information please visit visitblackpool.com/lightpoolfestival Nunn-Menson.

LES INTERVENTIONS MOBILES LES COMMANDOS PERCU WITH THE FIREWORKS COLLECTIVE

Tue 1st Nov | Comedy Carpet and St. John’s Square | 8pm | 40 mins

Percussion, fire, lights, motion: pure energy.

From direct contact with the public, the huge sound box will begin at the Comedy Carpet and work its way to St. John’s Square. This human machine shows off its rhythm and drags the audience along a path punctuated with pyro surprises. Shouts, drums, sparkles: an exhilarating spiral!

Pioneers of street fire performance Les Commandos Percu bring incredible strength to blow the audience away.

At the square they meet The FireWorks Collective, who represent the UK fire performance community at the Burning Man festival in Nevada each year. Non-professional performers from around the UK gather to create choreography together through the year, to take to the US. This international collaboration is a first for Blackpool and promises a night to remember for the whole family.

LUMIDOGS GRAND FINALE

WITH SPECIAL GUEST LUCY HEATH AND TRIP HAZARD

Sun 30th Oct | St. John’s Square | 6pm | 2hours

Produced by our in-house team and exclusive to LightPool Festival, Lumidogs is back and it’s bigger and better than ever before!

Guided by our team of artists and costume designers, we have run workshops in various locations around Blackpool and the surrounding areas during September and October to create doggy fashion items to dress up the region’s beloved pooches.

Join us for the finale, a mass illuminated dog-walk and an extravagant staged event featuring a star-studded cast of special guests, including the one and only Trip Hazard from Britain’s Got Talent! ‘Crufts meets Cabaret’, a Blackpool first.

To get involved please visit facebook.com/lumidogs

POLAR

COMPAGNIE BILBOBASSO

Sat 29th Oct | St. John’s Square | 8pm | 50 mins

Direct from France, Compagnie Bilbobasso come to Blackpool with Polar, a fable of fire and tango.

As night falls, lights are shed on a woman with her hair drawn back.

She is in a panic, fearing the presence of a killer that the audience cannot see. The multi-skilled cast then take you on a journey through Argentinian Tango where our leading lady plays with gangstermusicians.

Featuring a whole host of breath-taking fire performances and an exploding piano, this show has been described as ‘thriller meets silent film’ and features a multi-talented cast of dancers, musicians and fire performers.

MR WILSON’S SECOND LINERS

Mon 31st Oct | 7pm & 9pm Procession, Comedy Carpet | Performance, St. John’s Square

A rabble of mischievous northerners, Mr Wilson’s Second Liners form a traditional New Orleans funeral brass band. However, this is no sombre occasion: Mr Wilson’s expend their collective musical talent paying homage to the diehard days of the Hacienda, 90s club culture and its greatest hero, Mr Tony Wilson.

These revolutionary genre bashers knock the First Line sideways, opting for upbeat dance tracks over traditional slow hymns. Proudly stepping out in uniformed style, they channel the spirit of the 24 hour party people and get audiences dancing wherever they play.

The vision is an anarchic, street extravaganza, bursting with colour and sound, rallying impromptu raves on street corners and rousing audiences young and old into a joyful frenzy.

ON THE EDGE OF A RISING TIDE

SOUND INTERVENTION WITH MUSICIANS FROM BOOM BIKE BOURRÉE

This off-grid outdoor cinema will rove through the streets of Blackpool to tell a story about issues that affect all of us who live near the North West coast. On the Edge of a Rising Tide has six parts over 45minutes, moving in procession from site to site. A joint commission

by Light Up Lancaster and Lancashire Encounter.

SPARK!

WORLDBEATERS MUSIC WITH PYROTECHNICS FROM PA-BOOM

Wed 2nd Nov | Procession, Comedy Carpet, 9.30pm Performance, St. John’s Square, 9.50pm

LightPool Festival is proud to be part of the Light Up the North Network (LUTN)

www.lightupthenorth.com

From the original illuminated LED drummers, Spark! is like nothing else! Five mysterious characters made of light and sound will take you on an extraordinary and mesmerising journey. High impact drumming and lovable musical arrangements, beautiful lighting design, dynamic choreography, dazzling costumes: this is a must see.

New and exclusively to LightPool Festival in 2016, Worldbeaters Music are working with students from Blackpool & Fylde College to create a bespoke new section of the show for Spark! This will provide the next generation of performers from Blackpool with skills and experience, providing the 3rd year Musical Theatre Degree students with their first professional credit.

Pyrotechnic virtuosos pa-Boom will join the party to take Spark! to the next level, with an explosive, percussive finale to the show, concluding the LightPool Festival.

CAPTAIN KRONOS: RETURN TO PLANET EARTH KAZIMIER PRODUCTIONS WITH BLACKPOOL & FYLDE COLLEGE

Fri 28th Oct | Procession, Comedy Carpet, 7.20pm, 20mins Performance in St. John’s Square, 7.40pm Finale Spectacle, 15 mins

Fresh from an arduous battle liberating planet Jupiter, Captain Kronos - the intergalactic time travelling hero - arrives above Blackpool’s night sky in his spacecraft the Kronos for a special star appearance. His spacecraft hovers high and pulsates high above St. John’s Square. A hatch opens and the Captain descends in a beam of light and smoke, firing a shower of pyro as if propelled by rockets. Once landed he is greeted with a spectacular display. Created to celebrate the closure of cult venue the Kazimier in Liverpool, his message of light and love befits the launch of LightPool Festival 2016.