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The largest light festival in the United Kingdom returns to Durham in 2023 with the promise of being better than ever. To help plan your visit or inspire you to attend, this is my guide for Lumiere.
Every two years, on four cold and dark nights of November, the city of Durham and the County in general are transformed with the arrival of the largest light festival in the United Kingdom; Lumiere. The streets, the cathedral and many other iconic places are illuminated with giant outdoor art facilities of world renowned artists.
Lumiere took place for the first time in 2009 with 22 facilities and has become the festival we see today thanks to the artichoke of the producers, this is the council of Durham and Durham County. In this brief guide of Lumiere, I will take it through the most outstanding aspects of this year’s event along with insicious tips to help him plan his visit or inspire him to visit him this year or within two years. I will also share some of my favorite personal photos of recent events, including Lumiere’s tenth anniversary in 2019. You never know that some of the previous works of art can end up making a triumphant return in the future or becoming permanent accessories.
A Lumiere 2023 guide
What to wait in Lumiere 2023
Lumiere returns to Durham for four nights from November 16 to 19 with more than 40 facilities. The last time, Finchale Priorry received the special treatment with a unique light show, however, this year, Lumiere shines in the center of attention of Bishop Auckland in Durham County with four works, including two that interact with the Spanish gallery and the Auckland tower. Visitors will not only be able to experience many incredible light facilities in the city, but can go to one of the most revitalized cities in the county, which also houses the excellent Auckland project.
Lumiere 2023 promises to be bigger and better than ever and, now that I have received a preview of the event, I can assure you that it will definitely be! Although I do not want to spoil what is offered too much, I will highlight some of my favorites so that I know what to expect in Lumiere 2023.
#28 Pulse-Rafael Lozano-Hemmer Topology
Let’s start in the best work of art that Lumiere has exhibited, Pulse Topology, which consists of 4,500 bulbs suspended in the form of wave on the ship of the Durham Cathedral. The view is spectacular enough, but the unique connection with humanity is something else. Visitors can interact recording their beats, which then reproduces on the speakers, and is assigned to one of the many bulbs. That bulb burns brighter than all others for a short period of time and clicks on time with its pulse (until another 4,500 visitors pass and yours is ultimately replaced).
#11 – Parallels – Architecture Social Club
In the depth of the Prince Bishops shopping center, in what seems to be a load bay, you will find parallel created by Architecture Social Club (a collection of designers, architects, technicians and creators). The industrial environment is perfect for the show that incorporates thousands of lasers, smoke and sound. This is not one for those who suffer from epilepsy due to flashing lights!
#14 – On blank pages – Luzinterruptus
You will find ‘in blank pages’ in the middle of Walkergate, which is a very stimulating work of art that causes conversations and invites visitors to write their thoughts about the United Kingdom justice system. There are hundreds of notebooks that can be written along with many pages already covered with works and words of those imprisoned in HMP Frankland and a prison of women as well as refugees; Those who have direct experience in the justice system.
#24 – It hurts so well – Chila Burman
This is a unique set of neon light art works in the Durham market that celebrates multiculturalism with the rich Hindu-Pumabi heritage of the artist who provides inspiration. You will find a white neon tiger along with references to Indian mythology, popular culture and political activism.
#29 – Illuminated bottle cake – Ai Weiwei
61 Vintage Chandeliers constitute this impressive installation in the beautiful house of the chapter in Durham’s cathedral. The bottle rack upside down is used as branches of the even bigger spider lamp. I am not sure that there can be a more ideal location for this work of art; It cannot definitely be lost.
#30 – Internal clusster – Adam Frelin
The cloister of the Durham Cathedral is very famous, since it has been used as a place of filming for the first Harry Potter film. The art installation replicates the arches and lights of the sequence cloister to emulate the passage of the monks that wandered these same corridors.
Durham Cathedral
The entire Durham Cathedral and the buildings surrounding the square are illuminated with a loop of geometric patterns of an hour. This is beautiful to see, although it may discover that it does not stay throughout the hour. If you return at different times, however, you can catch different parts of the loop!
Bishop Auckland – The most highlighted
We spend a short time in the market of Bishop Auckland, where there are four works of art on display for visitors (which can attend without a ticket). In order of the first most impressive, the fall in the Tower of Auckland, the Spanish Gallery of Amalgama, Illumafonium and Flores and Candelabros.
The highlights of past events
I have visited Lumiere in Durham on three previous occasions; Once many years ago, in 2011 and then twice in 2019 and 2021, he was invited by artichoke to experience a preview of the festival. I have seen many different works of art, but I can’t share photos of each one, since it would take too much time! So, here is a brief collection of my favorite images of Lumiere Past.
Photography tips for Lumiere
The main question that I always have when visiting Lumiere, since we are talking about night photography, is whether to take a tripod or not. Of course, a tripod is essential in certain situations, but, with the Fujifilm cameras, I have never been afraid to raise the ISO (already treating more noise in the images) so that I can shoot by hand.
Now I have the Fujifilm X-T5 that has one of my favorite characteristics and that is the stabilization of images in the body. This means that it is even easier to get rid of the tripod, since it can open the shutter for much longer; I am talking about super clear photos of shutter speeds like 1/4 second! So, therefore, in my opinion, I could easily leave the tripod at home and still capture excellent night shots.
In terms of lens, I discovered that my favorite images were, as always, filmed with the Fujifilm 35 mm f/1.4. That lens is simply magical. I also enjoyed using the Fujifilm 18 mm f/1.4 for broader shots.
I would also say that you should not be afraid of the weather. Yes, it is likely to be cold and wet, but I discovered that some of the best images come from the reflexes of artificial light in the puddles and the cobbled streets.
Key information
Fortunately, Lumiere is completely free, although tickets are required to enter the center of the city of Durham (the peninsula) during the peak times of 4:30 pm to 7:30 pm the tickets run out quickly, so, if you do not manage, do not worry, since you can still experience everything lumiere until 11 pm every night. Things can also be a bit busy with ticket checks, so it is prepared. From 7:30 pm onwards, it does not need a ticket and can end up experiencing the festival with less crowds.
How to get to Lumiere
The best way to enter Durham to visit Lumiere is to use the park service and the trip with five sites on the outskirts of the city. Additional parking spaces have been added that bring the maximum cars that can be parked at any time up to 6,000! To avoid painful traffic jams, I recommend spending £ 2 on transport buses that work regularly until 11:30 pm
Traveling to Bishop Auckland is much easier and it is probably less likely to be trapped in traffic, although you never know! There is free parking at night at Bishop Auckland or you can get on bus #6 from Durham.
Where to eat / drink / stay in Durham
For four nights, Durham will see a large influx of visitors both those who live locally and to those who have made the trip, especially to experience Lumiere. The hotels and B&B will often be completely reserved for this event, so be sure to plan and reserve early. Some excellent places to stay in downtown Durham are the Radisson Blu hotel in River Wear, Indigo Hotel and, for a little more luxurious place, 40 Winks Guest House.
Of course, there are many excellent places to eat and drink in Durham in which we could be here all night, so I will leave some of my favorites here: flat white kitchen, tango, steamhead and pizza punk. If you want more detailed information, go to my specific publications “The best places to eat in the city center of Durham”, “The best bars and pubs in Durham”, “How to spend a perfect weekend in Durham” or “The 6 best coffees in Durham”.
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