• Battersea Power Station’s free-to-attend Light Festival is returning to the riverside neighbourhood this January and February and will be more interactive than ever before
• Seven spectacular installations from British and international artists will be on display inside and outside the Power Station with three making their UK debut and two making their London debut
• With over 140 shops, bars, restaurants and leisure venues now open at Battersea Power Station, visitors can make a whole evening out of the Light Festival and enjoy a selection of special brand offers

3 January 2024

Shining bright and with more interactive pieces for visitors to enjoy, the installations will be on display inside the iconic London landmark and around the surrounding riverside neighbourhood.

Battersea Power Station’s annual Light Festival is returning bigger and brighter than ever before to illuminate the winter evenings between 25^th January – 25^th February 2024. The free-to-attend event will feature seven spectacular pieces of artwork from British and international artists. Shining bright and with more interactive pieces for visitors to enjoy, the installations will be on display inside the iconic London landmark and around the surrounding riverside neighbourhood. Three of the light installations, including Large Diamond by Freerk Wilbers, will be making their UK debut and two pieces will be making their London debut.

Located on the Upper Ground Level of Electric Boulevard, ‘Cloudy Lanterns’ is a light art installation with floating geometric matrixes that immerse themselves in the urban space by illuminating their diffuse and crystalline glow.

This year, many of the light installations will offer more than just a visual experience for festival-goers, enhanced with soundscapes and interactive elements that respond to visitors’ movements. For example, LightPiano by Arion de Munck and Mark Ridder in Turbine Hall B questions how sound and light can become one as visitors are able to simultaneously play a piano and play with light resulting in a special kind of instrument that resonates with ears, eyes and heart. There will also be a schedule of musicians showcasing their skills on the piece on Monday to Wednesday evenings throughout the festival, with fun themes such as The Best of Movie Soundtracks.

Lightbattle III by Venividimultiplex located in Malaysia Square encourages visitors to step inside two arches of light and take part in a cycling competition, with the ultimate winner awarded with a flood of colourful light.

Making its UK debut at Battersea Power Station, Large Diamond by Dutch artist, Freerk Wilbers, is a moving installation which consists of 183 diamond-shape pieces of special reflective material. On display in the Power Station’s Turbine Hall A during the Light Festival, the light falling through the diamonds will create sparkling reflections on the beautiful Art Deco features of the space for visitors to enjoy.

‘Singularity’ by Squidsoup represents a hypothetical technological singularity, an imagined point in time at which technological growth becomes uncontrollable and irreversible, resulting in unforeseeable changes to human civilisation. (Credit: Squidsoup)

Simon Murphy, CEO at Battersea Power Station Development Company, said:

“The Light Festival is one of our most popular events at Battersea Power Station and we are excited to see it return with even more interactive pieces for visitors to enjoy in January and February. With the Power Station’s strong cultural history, it is important that we continue this tradition, and we are thrilled to be working with some of the leading light artists from around the globe to create a festival which brightens up the riverside neighbourhood and helps to put a smile on our visitors’ faces during the dark winter months.”

The great mix of cafes, bars and restaurants now open at Battersea Power Station will have special menus and offers to celebrate the return of the Light Festival, plus take-away options to enjoy as visitors wander around the installations such as hot drinks and sweet treats from TOZI Counter, Paris Baguette and Crosstown. For those looking to refuel after exploring everything the festival has to offer, there is so much to choose from including warming Indian dishes at the newly opened Dishoom, over 13 cuisines from around the globe at Arcade Food Hall or a glass of fizz accompanied by a charcuterie board at Searcys Champagne Bar.

Once refuelled, continue the evening with some retail therapy at the British and international brands now open at the riverside neighbourhood, enjoy some friendly competition at Bounce Ping Pong or relax with one of the latest blockbusters at The Cinema in The Power Station. A full list of shops, bars and restaurants open at Battersea Power Station can be found here – www.batterseapowerstation.co.uk/retailers/

Made from thick sheets of transparent acryl, ‘C/C’ by Angela Chong uses coloured LED lights that reflect in the material and change colours rhythmically and dynamically. (Credit: Janus van der Eijnden)

There will also be family-friendly workshops, live entertainment and music throughout the Light Festival, including the live weeknight performances on installation, LightPiano. Visitors will also be able to enjoy live ‘glow shows’ throughout the festival from specialist LED performers, and Silent Discos will be held in Turbine Hall B for the first time, with further information and tickets to be released soon. Plus, visitors will have a chance to win a fantastic trip to Langkawi for four people courtesy of Malaysia Airlines. More details on the competition will be shared on Battersea Power Station’s website and social channels shortly (see link/handle below).

Travelling to Battersea Power Station for the Light Festival couldn’t be easier with the Zone 1 Battersea Power Station Underground station bringing the riverside neighbourhood within 15 minutes of the West End and the City. Battersea Power Station also has its very own Uber Boat by Thames Clippers pier and is a 15-minute journey from Embankment, 20 minutes from Blackfriars, 30 minutes from Putney and 40 minutes from Canary Wharf. The riverside neighbourhood is easily accessible by bus, bike, car and train too.

To discover more on the Light Festival at Battersea Power Station, please visit https://bpwrstn.com/light-festival-2024

For more information about Battersea Power Station, please visit www.batterseapowerstation.co.uk and follow @BatterseaPwrStn to keep up to date with the latest news and events.

-END OF PRESS RELEASE-

Full list of installations at the Light Festival at Battersea Power Station:

Butterfly Effect by Masamichi Shimada – located in the water feature in Circus West Village
Six gigantic butterflies have landed on the surface of the land or the water. The butterflies rise and fall with the movement of their bright blue glow against the dark night. At first sight, the artwork seems to portray a peaceful, almost magical scene. But with his artwork Butterfly Effect, Masamichi Shimada attempts to portray how something as delicate as a butterfly can possess such immense power. The artist emphasises that even though problems and challenges are seemingly big, a small act of just one person can make all the difference.

Singularity by Squidsoup – located in Power Station Park by the Power Station’s north entrance
In mathematics and physics a singularity is a point of extreme variability where normal rules no longer apply, where change, transition, unpredictability and the unknown become the norm, where our models of behaviour break down and our expectations are confounded. Singularities exist at the limits of our understanding – from distant and abstract phenomena such as the beginning of the universe and black holes through to the more familiar and every-day, for example weather patterns. Squidsoup’s Singularity represents a hypothetical technological singularity, an imagined point in time at which technological growth becomes uncontrollable and irreversible, resulting in unforeseeable changes to human civilisation.

C/C by Angela Chong (UK debut) – located on Electric Boulevard next to Battersea Park Road
C/C is an interactive sculpture that lights up in the dark and can be used as a bench. During the day, the work creates various shadows only to transform into a colourful lightshow during the evening. The artist behind the installation, Angela Chong, wanted to use the property of a material and create a sculpture which functions as a seat for the public. The work gives the area a futuristic feel. Made from thick sheets of transparent acryl, this system uses coloured LED lights that reflect in the material and change colours in a rhythmic and dynamic way.

Lightbattle III by Venividimultiplex (London debut) – located in Malaysia Square by the Power Station’s south entrance
Lightbattle III lets visitors experience the Dutch cultural heritage of cycling in a completely different way. In two interactive arches of light, six bicycles face each other from opposite sides. Visitors are invited to ride one of the bicycles and compete with the other contestants. Based on the speed with which the competitors are cycling, the light slowly intensifies the colours of the arch. The strongest cycler is rewarded with a flood of light colour. Let the battle begin!

Cloudy Lanterns by Mad Rhizome (UK debut) – located on the Upper Ground Level of Electric Boulevard
Cloudy Lanterns is a light art installation with floating geometric matrixes that immerse themselves in the urban space by illuminating their diffuse and crystalline glow. These clouds, consisting of a thousand coloured crystals, interrupt the ordinary landscape and force the passing crowds to stand still, raise their eyes and be amazed by the interplay of light, form and personal thoughts and interpretations.

LightPiano by Arion de Munck and Mark Ridder (London debut) – located in Turbine Hall B inside the Power Station
The creation of the interactive installation LightPiano 1.5 was inspired by the question ‘how can music and image become one?’. The cubes placed in this spatial composition are connected to the keys of the piano, meaning that LightPiano 1.5 can be regarded as both a work of art and an instrument. In this installation the sound of the piano is being mobilised and visualised, allowing the audience not only to play the piano but also to play the light. The result is a special kind of instrument that resonates with ears, eyes and heart.

Large Diamond by Freerk Wilbers (UK debut) – located in Turbine Hall A inside the Power Station
Large Diamond is a part of a series of Motives. These works by Dutch artist Freerk Wilbers are the result of the balance of two opposing forces. One is scientific in nature: careful planning, structure, calculations, the laws of nature. The other is organic, unpredictable: once the sculpture is made and starts moving, visitors don’t know exactly what will happen. There is the influence of the light, the space and air currents. The movement in this installation is fundamentally unpredictable, organic and different every time. Like the flow of the water, or the wind in the forest. The two forces give the artwork a natural, joyful aspect.

For media enquiries, please contact:
Battersea Power Station Development Company
T: +44 (0) 20 7062 1870
E: pressoffice@bpsdc.co.uk

About Battersea Power Station
Following an ambitious eight-year restoration, Battersea Power Station opened to the public for the first time in history on 14th October 2022. The iconic landmark and surrounding area has been transformed into London's most exciting new mixed-use neighbourhood – a place for the local community, Londoners and visitors from further afield to shop, eat, drink, live, work and play.

Forty years after the Power Station was decommissioned, the Grade II* listed building is now home to over 100 shops, bars, restaurants, 254 apartments, offices, leisure and entertainment venues including Lift 109, a unique glass elevator experience inside the building’s north west chimney, The Cinema in The Power Station and Bounce Ping Pong.

Visitors to Battersea Power Station will find a mix of premium, high street and small independent brands such as ME+EM, A.P.C, ZARA, Hackett, Jigsaw, Levi's, Aesop, Uniqlo, the Battersea Bookshop, and Curated Makers. The riverside neighbourhood also offers a variety of dining options at over 30 cafes, bars and restaurants including the newly opened 24,000 sq ft Arcade Food Hall, which hosts 13 world cuisines on its menu.

The restoration of Battersea Power Station is the centrepiece of an ambitious regeneration programme that spans across 42 acres on a 450m stretch of the River Thames. When completed, this highly anticipated and innovative project will have created more than 20,000 new jobs, over 4,000 new homes, a new NHS medical facility and 19 acres of public space.

Additionally, with its own Uber Boat by Thames Clippers river bus pier and the new Zone 1 Battersea Power Station Underground station on the Northern Line, this central London destination is now easily accessible for all to enjoy.

For more information, please visit www.batterseapowerstation.co.uk and follow @BatterseaPwrStn to keep up with the latest news and events.

About Light Art Collection
Light Art Collection wants to connect, enlighten, and move people all over the world through the universal language of light art. Founded in 2017, the organisation distinguishes itself for its renowned light art collection, its focus on thoughtful curating, tailored consulting and an extensive track-record in producing light art installations for large audiences. At the core of its collection is a selection of artworks that were commissioned by and created for Amsterdam Light Festival. Furthermore, the collection is also formed by other pieces and continues to expand over the years. Continuously being added to, the collection is the largest of its kind in the world.

Installations curated by Light Art Collection at the Light Festival at Battersea Power Station include: Butterfly Effect by Masamichi Shimada, Singularity by Squidsoup, C/C by Angela Chong, Lightbattle III by Venividimultiplex, Cloudy Lanterns by Mad Rhizome, LightPiano by Arion de Munck and Mark Ridder, and Large Diamond by Freerk Wilbers.

Download:
English