Longbridge to light up this Autumn
Longbridge Light Festival is set to return to Longbridge Town Centre this month.
The free festival, which takes place next Saturday (October 22) between 6-10pm, aims to offer something for everyone, with events including family workshops, outdoor lighting installations and artworks for all ages to enjoy.
The festival, which is part of the Longbridge Public Art Project, will include 35 artists from the UK, USA, Germany and Spain.
This is the second Longbridge Light Festival. The first, in October 2014, attracted over 5,500 visitors.
International artists at the festival will include Barcelona’s Playmid, Industry of the Ordinary from Chicago and Anna Schimkat from Leipzig; UK representation includes Juneau Projects, Stuart Whipps, General Public, Ian Richards and Cathy Wade.
Longbridge Light Festival will celebrate the area’s automotive heritage whilst looking forward to its bright future, through light and art.
Many of the artworks and activities for the festival have been programmed in response to the festival theme of ‘Shadow Factory’, a historical reference to the Shadow Scheme of World War II, headed by Lord Austin, founder of the Austin Motor Company. There is a myth that the roof of the Longbridge WWII shadow factory was painted to resemble terraced houses from the air by local artists, painters and theatre set designers.
Claire Farrell, WERK Artistic Director and Festival Curator, said: “The 2016 festival is the finale of the ongoing five-year Longbridge Public Art Project (LPAP).
“We are delighted that we are able produce another festival with the support of Arts Council West Midlands, Birmingham City Council, St. Modwen and Bournville College.
“The festival will feature an array of light installations and artworks by artists from the West Midlands and internationally-based artists from Birmingham’s sister cities Leipzig and Chicago.
“Longbridge’s past, present and future is the ongoing frame of reference for the project and new work will be created in response to this year’s festival theme Shadow Factory, a poetic nod to the area’s industrial heritage and wartime past as well as a metaphor for the hidden depths of a place, the stories that lie beneath its surface.”
As well as light displays at the festival, there will be a range of other entertainment including workshops for the whole family to get involved in, dance performances, child and adult face painting, live music and performances and history walks exploring the town.
There will also be a range of handmade crafts to purchase as well as a variety of food and drink to sample.
The fun will take place in various venues across the town, including Bournville College, Costa Coffee, The Factory Youth Centre, Market Square and Sainsbury’s.
