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Winter Lights

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Now in its fourth year Winter Lights at Canary Wharf has gone from strength to strength and as apparent by the numbers viewing on the opening night earlier this week, it has become a fixture in the calendar for many Londoners. Expectations were high following, last year’s success at the darc architectural awards (Winter Lights won for ‘Best Creative Lighting Event’ in 2017), and 2018’s offering does not disappoint.

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The programme includes over 30 installations, across the Canary Wharf Estate, ranging from Tom Dekyvere’s Apparatus Florius which is literally woven into the flora of Westferry Circus Park, to the selection of smaller works by Amber Stefani (Amberlights) which give an impression of art deco influence, at Crossrail Place. Most installations are sited outdoors in the Wharf’s parks and public spaces. However 2018 has seen the inclusion of a greater number of indoor works. A welcome development, given the inevitable annual timing of Winter Lights, and an innovative use of some spaces.

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This is particularly true of Level -3 at Crossrail place. This is the location of a new yet-to-be-occupied shopping mall, which will in the near future no doubt be a constant blaze of light and activity. Yet descending into this subterranean space in its current state, which aside from the installation spaces themselves is only dimly lit, encourages a sense of trespass. As though these light creations have quietly inhabited this other world to which we are not (yet) invited, and we observe or participate as intruders. Level -3 shows a wide range of work from the mesmerising and aptly named ‘On Your Wavelength’ (by Marcus Lyall) in which a massive into-infinity light sculpture is controlled by your thoughts via a headset, to the beautiful ‘Reflecting Holons’ (Michiel Martens and Jeske Visser) which has an ethereal almost unsettling feel.

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Another development this year was the inclusion of more individual interactive installations, though I suspect that the queues for those that offer a one-to-one interactive experience – especially Sunlight Graffiti in Jubilee Place and Luma Paint Light Graffiti at the Crossrail Roof Garden, will grow considerably through the run. I only had time to try Sunlight Graffiti which was great fun. Directed where to stand and handed a ‘little sun’ with which to produce my ‘art’ – the photographic evidence of this creation had arrived by email by the time I returned home.
It is impossible with limited time and space to describe in detail all the installations but here are some of my favourites this year…

Polaris (Laurent Font) at Cabot Place, inspired by the northern lights is deceptively simple yet compelling. Luminous green light moves around the small space in constant change and evolution. A peaceful and calming experience.

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Approaching Westferry Circus I expected to view an installation on the green in the middle of the park. It took a minute or two to realise that Apparatus Florius was all around us. Weaving organically through the trees and shrubbery light combined with sound to deliver an ethereal experience reminiscent of walking within a forest at dusk. With added magic.

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I also particularly enjoyed Halo (Venividmultiplex and FosFor Design). The suspension of an apparent giant halo above the fountain in Cabot Square is another great example of Winter Lights working with the existing landscape of the Wharf. When the fountain pool is still the reflection can be mesmerising, and viewed by approaching Cabot Square up the steps from West India Avenue the halo appears to cradle the One Canada Square Tower.

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While Winter Lights has no overall theme a number of this year’s works (Sunlight Graffiti, Polaris, Halo, Apparatus Florius, and Intrude) are inspired by, or reference the natural world and environment, in particular the presence of the sun. A timely reminder of its role in our lives, not least at the stage of the year when we see it least.
Canary Wharf has a growing and well-loved arts scene, with the summer theatre and concerts season drawing large crowds. The Wharf is also home to one of the UK’s largest public art collections – from which several permanent works – Bit.Fall, Lightbenches, and Coup de Foudre II – feature in Winter Lights.

See Winter Lights if you can. Rarely is technology so beautiful. It’s a welcome antidote to the dark post-festive days and many of the works lift the spirits and soothe the soul in ways that are unexpected and endure beyond the evening visit.

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Additional information

Dates: Now until 27th January 2018
Cost: Free
Time: Available 5-10pm.
Travel : Canary Wharf (Jubilee Line, DLR), several bus routes pass through the Wharf, Thames Clippers stop at Canary Riverside (very close to Apparatus Florius)
As far as I am aware all works are accessible to visitors with restricted mobility, though visitors should be prepared for the amount of travel required between (some) sites. Sound is also a feature of many.
Download a map in advance here (hard copies can also be collected from installation locations). Personally I would allow a good 2-3 hours to visit all the sites (not allowing for queuing for some). Warm clothes and comfortable footwear (expect a reasonable amount of walking between locations) are advised, and it can be helpful to plan a route beforehand to ensure viewing as many as possible. Of course the ‘Lights’ are ideally placed to enable viewing a few here and there as you enjoy other activities – and there is no shortage of places (to suit all budgets) across the Wharf for food and drink.

The Theatre on the Coast goes ‘global’

In July last year I was delighted to be at the opening night of ‘The end of the Line‘ – the first production in the 2019 Summer Season of the Theatre on The Coast (TOTC). It was a wonderful evening that went a long way to ‘making’ my holiday in Southwold. So, I was sad to realise some months ago that this year social distancing measures would mean that there would be no Theatre on the Coast. What a joy it was then to discover then that the TOTC were joining the virtual revolution and offering a season of productions broadcast live from Southwold Arts Centre

The first of these took to the stage on 22^nd August. The premiere of ‘All 4 One’, a new play written especially for the season. This explores the events of the meeting at Sandringham in January this year, between the Queen, and princes Charles, William and Harry, to discuss Harry and Meghan’s plans for their future. From the opening moments – featuring Camillia (yes really) in full apron and gloves, joining in with the household cleaning to the soundtrack of Springteen’s ‘Born to Run’, the tone is set for an at times shockingly hilarious journey through the events of that afternoon. Topical references abound, from the then very recent Gavin and Stacey Christmas Special to the Duke of Edinburgh’s driving skills and Harry and Meghan ‘doing veganuary’.

Given that none of us were privy to the events at Sandringham on that day, artistic licence is rightfully given full reign in imagining the exchanges between a hurt and somewhat bewildered grandmother, her son, and grandsons. The father who doesn’t want to alienate his son, the brothers whose relationship will be changed forever by diverging paths and the desire of one to leave the family ‘firm’, and the claustrophobia of a family that loves each other dearly but for all that can’t quite reach understanding. I suspect these are themes many of us will recognize. And herein lies the strength at the heart of ‘All 4 One’. While it is irreverent and pokes fun at the traits and mishaps of the royals, both supposed and real, it does so with empathy and warmth. There are also moments of real poignancy, not least towards the end of the play, when the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh fondly reminisce about their own time as a young couple living abroad. In a strong cast James Thorne as Harry and Hilary Greatorex as the Queen stand out, delivering performances that are unnervingly believable.

There were one or two odd camera angles and slightly patchy sound at one point. But these are minor concerns and easily addressed for the remaining productions. This is a pioneering moment for the Theatre on the Coast and Matthew Townsend Productions. In seizing the moment and broadcasting from Southwold, they are following in the footsteps of national institutions, that added ‘live from’ to their portfolios some years ago, long before we could imagine the constraints of today. Many regional venues have recently begun to follow suit with one-off productions principally as fundraisers. For the Theatre on the Coast to deliver an entire season on consecutive weekends is a considerable achievement.

It is also undeniably a significant contribution to an English cultural tradition – coastal repertory theatre. Once, a night at a play or show would have been the highlight of most annual seaside holidays. In recent decades the tradition has ebbed away across much of England, in the face of rising costs and diverse travel and entertainment choices. However, it has, against the odds, remained resolutely strong in East Anglia. Established theatres have continued to thrive at Frinton-on-Sea, Aldeburgh, and Cromer. And in 2019 Townsend productions re-launched the long established Southwold summer season as the Theatre on the Coast.

Whether you are new to theatre or a long time fan, I can recommend the ‘Theatre on the Virtual Coast’. It’s great fun and a wonderful introduction into the delights of Southwold and, Suffolk. We can’t yet return to our theatres quite as we would like, but now, and for some time to come I suspect, they need us to be there for them, in whatever way possible. The Southwold season is already attracting audience members from around the world. Do join them if you can to keep this amazing part of our cultural heritage alive.

Visit the Theatre on the Virtual Coast to view productions and book

Check out the Frinton Summer Theatre

and the

Cromer Pier Show

Re-opening – Copped Hall

The adventure begins on the journey. Leaving the main road between Loughton and Epping, a short way along the Upshire road, you turn again to enter through imposing gates (1) on the other side of which is a wood unlike any other area of Epping Forest. Travelling slowly on a rough track to its edge you come to a one-track bridge, that somewhat unexpectedly takes you over the top of the M25. A short way along the drive the other side, and there on the brow of a hill lost in time, is Copped Hall. An 18^th century mansion and gardens, saved from the clutches of developers, literally at the eleventh hour in 1995.

On Sunday 5^th July, Copped Hall opened its gates again, initially exclusively to existing members of their Friends scheme. To do so on a date which was also a scheduled ‘Garden Afternoon’ (when the mansion would be closed anyway), was a sound decision. Twenty-four acres of gardens provide ample space for social distancing even on the busiest of days, and only minimal one-way routing was needed.

Run by the Copped Hall Trust (CHT) and funded entirely by the money it raises (through sales, donations and the occasional grant), it is also entirely volunteer run (which presents its own challenges in re-opening). Welcoming Friends only, enabled a realistic estimate of numbers without the need to manage pre-booking, and volunteers could be sure that the visitors they would be welcoming, would be familiar with the site already.

Many of the key features of the Copped Hall estate are located in the grounds, so there is always plenty to see and do on a Garden Afternoon, including; King Henry’s Walk, a charming sunken rock garden, and the site of the original Tudor mansion (currently under excavation by the Copped Hall Trust Archaeology Project). But the jewel in the crown is the Walled Kitchen Garden. An overgrown tangle of bramble, weed and rubbish when it was acquired in 1999, this area has been transformed into a fully working kitchen garden, producing everything from pumpkins to fruit and honey from its own hives. Established in the 1700s and at four acres, it was believed to be the largest such kitchen garden in the South East of England.

Inside the Walled Kitchen Garden

Paths lead from a central circular pond dividing the space into quadrants, one of which is dedicated to greenhouses (currently under restoration). On garden afternoons and open days, this area is always busy with visitors, keen to purchase plants and produce. For the last few years most of our new garden plants have been bought at Copped Hall, and having been denied the option to do so through the crucial spring growing season, I was delighted to find exactly what I was looking for on sale in the Walled Garden on this occasion. This is a win, win, win situation, produce and plants are of excellent quality, often you can chat to the person who grew your purchase and can therefore advise on the best site and care, prices are significantly cheaper than one would pay in conventional outlets – and finally the proceeds are directly funding the ongoing restoration.

Another key feature of the Walled Garden is the Long Border. Strictly speaking outside the Garden, at 450 feet long, not to mention 16 feet deep, it lives up to its name. Frequently a blaze of colour with many unusual plant combinations, volunteers from the garden team are often to be found, tackling what must be one of the largest weeding jobs there is. Copped Hall also has numerous historical connections, with the Tudor Mansion believed to be the site in 1594 of the first performance of A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

Overlooking the Long Border

It is an understatement to say that the saving of Copped Hall and its continued rise from dereliction is an inspiration. it never fails to fill my heart with hope. It is also a reminder that engaged and determined citizens can fight off the goliath of unwelcome development. There is another way. This is a restoration literally achieved brick by brick, (marble) step by (marble) step, and one of the joys of regular visits to the site is an awareness of the scale of what has been achieved so far, (and what remains).

Copped Hall has now announced further event dates including garden afternoons in August and September and an open day (Garden Only) in August, all of which are open to the public (as well as members of the Friends). However in all cases tickets must be booked in advance. See the Copped Hall Trust Website for full details.

(1)Entrance through the lodge gates is strictly only within given hours on event days. Full details are available on the CHT website.

All text and images © Later Than You Think 2020

Re-opening – The National Gallery

It is fitting that our national collection of art to should be the first of the major galleries to re-open, and having been a visitor to the National for decades, I was keen to do so again at the earliest opportunity. It did not disappoint.

I have written elsewhere about my relationship with the arts in general, and some of the paintings in the National’s collection specifically (There is Art. There is Hope). I was lucky to be taken to London’s museums and galleries as a child. But often it is those places that give us our first taste of independence that stay with us, and so it has been for me and the National Gallery. Having first visited as a 15 year old, I have continued to do so ever since. It became somewhere I would ‘pop into’ when passing and would always try and include in visits to London when I lived elsewhere. These last few months may be the longest time I have been away from the National, ever.

Pre-booked timed slots are now required for all visitors, irrespective of whether you are taking in the current ‘Titian: Love, Desire, Death’ (currently fully booked until sometime in August I believe), or the permanent collection, or both. To facilitate social distancing the Gallery is divided into three one-way routes, A, B and C. On arrival in room 9 at the start of route C, the first painting I encountered was ‘The Dream of Saint Helena’ by Veronese. An image new to me and one which somehow captured my feelings, on returning to this place. Having engaged with art online(1) as much as possible during the weeks of Lockdown, I was unprepared for the visceral experience of witnessing it in person again. A wave of emotion, and something akin to relief washed over me, It was still there, and I was still able to be there.

The Dream of Saint Helena, Paolo Veronese

As well as pictures I often visit, it was wonderful to be able to view The Fighting Temeraire up close so soon after learning more about the work courtesy of TV’s ‘Greatest Paintings’, and to be able to recognise, at a distance, Turner’s signature use of light elsewhere in the Gallery. Also to view in person Klimt’s Portrait of Hermine Gallia 1904, which was recently the subject of an ‘Art with the Experts’ event I attended online.

The Fighting Temeraire, JMW Turner

A highlight of any visit now is the opportunity to see the newly restored Julia and Hans Rausing Room. The largest room in the Gallery, has been painstakingly restored to its former glory and is something of an artwork in itself. The current Nicolas Maes exhibition is well worth a detour from route C. In particular as this pupil of Rembrandt who later influenced Vermeer had an aptitude for capturing domestic scenes with wit and empathy– somewhat topical for our current times.

A friend asked me whether I had felt that I couldn’t linger in the Gallery as I would wish. Reassuringly this is not the case. While there is a requirement to progress around the building in a given route or routes and direction, once inside you are free to move at your own pace. Outside of the obviously popular rooms (as ever Van Gogh, Gauguin and Monet draw the crowds), it was not, and did not feel ‘crowded’ I would be interested to know how busy the most popular rooms will be allowed to get.(I believe the Gallery is currently expecting to welcome between a quarter and a third of its usual 15,000 visitors daily). The requirement to use defined routes did mean that I could not head straight to my favourite rooms and pictures as I would normally do. But the positive consequence of this is that I discovered pictures new to me.

A map showing the routes and facilities is downloadable in advance though frustratingly doesn’t include room numbers, which would have helped to maintain a sense of direction, while in progress. It can also be a little confusing. Having decided to do routes B and C (which overlap slightly), I was advised on arrival, for logistical reasons, to tackle them in reverse order and also encouraged to divert to the Nicolas Maes exhibition downstairs enroute. This worked well until, having entered the Maes rooms from route B, I exited and found myself part way through route C. Staff were however very helpful, in literally pointing me in the right direction, and I was soon back on track. Clearly a lot of thought has gone into the new (normal) visitor experience, and these are minor quibbles, to experience, not least on only the second day of re-opening (9^th July).

So if like me you have missed the National, or have never been, this is a great time to go. Right now it will be less crowded, both in the Gallery and on the journey, and once there, there are new joys to discover. Some of us were reminded during Lockdown how much we needed art. As our Galleries re-open, they have never needed us more.

A huge thank-you goes to the artist Lydia Bauman and the excellent lectures she has delivered several times a week through the Art with the Experts Meet-Up Group. Totalling 50 at the time of writing, these have provided the opportunity to learn more about an artist or theme, in short sessions, in early evening, several times per week. An ideal ‘after work’ and ‘social’ art fix for these times, and one which has enabled me to continue to feel connected to art and my artistic life.

Winter Lights

Canary Wharf’s Winter Lights Festival has become a firm fixture in the post-festive calendars of many Londoners – providing as it does a welcome opportunity to wrap up against the cold and enjoy a rare dose of the outdoors in these dark deep winter days.

Twenty-six installations are spread over the (current) entirety of the Wharf, mostly outdoors (a few are inside shopping malls). Some are limited to a visual spectacle while others are more interactive. Most works make innovative use of the architectural and developed natural landscapes of the Wharf’s estate, sometimes in ways that utilise existing features– as with Neon Tree and Light Bench in Canada Square Park, and Liquid Sound (by Entertainment Effects) (with colour and soundtrack) in Cabot Square – providing a lively backdrop for Old Flo. In other instances installations can seem (deliberately I suspect) at odds with the immediate environment – the web of globes of Affinity (by Amigo and Amigo and SITU2) in Montgomery Square appear to have landed from another world and are a good introduction to the immersive nature of many of the exhibits.

There is no overall theme for the 2020 Lights – some such as Lactolight (by Lactolight) at Westferry Circus incorporating 7,000+ recycled milk bottles and with an aim to raise awareness of single use plastic do reference the 2019 emphasis on sustainability – but if anything this year’s diversity of topic makes a welcome change and enhances the experience. Several works are permanent residents in the Wharf – these include Lightbench (by LBO Lightbank) in Canada Square and BIT.FALL (by Julius Popp) at Chancellors Passage. Others such as Sasha Trees (by Adam Decolight) are repeat ‘visitors’ in a new location this year at Bank Street Park.

Now in its sixth year -,and as winners of [d]arc awards (https://darcawards.com/) for the 2017 and 2019 Festivals – the ‘Lights’ increasingly has a reputation to both live up to, and surpass. While not quite in the league of the breakout year of 2017, the 2020 Lights does not disappoint and for me three works particularly stand out in a strong field.

The Clew (by Ottotto), literally circling the bridge at Cubitt Steps, is a stunning vision, combining as it does encirclement of the bridge, the opportunity to travel through the installation, and mesmerising reflections from a range of viewpoints, offering a new perspective on the Wharf itself. A must-visit for photographers!

The Clew – Cubitt Steps

Absorbed by Light (by Gali May Lucas) at Cabot Square is an arresting sight. Three ghostly seated figures each obviously absorbed, and illuminated by, the light from their mobiles. A thought-provoking work making clever use of place, activity and light – literally reflecting our own lives back to us.

Detail from Absorbed by Light – Cabot Square

Squiggle (by Angus Muir Design) is one of the larger scale works and makes excellent use of the space, in Jubilee Park, appearing to flow with the flora. When viewed from the side in a slightly surreal twist it is also (to me at least) somewhat reminiscent of the cover for Joy Division’s ‘Unknown Pleasures’.

Squiggle – Jubilee Park

With extended opening hours for this year the Winter Lights Festival ends on Saturday 25^th January. As ever get there if you can!

Profoundly Blue

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Faultless in its composition and arrangement, Profoundly Blue delivers its remit with energy and a real passion for the subject. The band led by Cox, with Joe Webb on Piano, Simon Read on Double Bass and Gethin Jones on drums, work instinctively together and moved effortlessly from high energy to melodic reflection. From the opening bars of Dardanella Cox inhabits Hall’s work with ease and understanding. The energetic High Society contrasting with an emotionally nuanced You Made Me Love You, and throughout flawlessly coaxing a breath-taking range from the clarinet…..

Read the review in full on London Jazz News – click here:Profoundly Blue – National Jazz Archive/Loughton Methodist Church – Sue Carrette for London Jazz News

Adrian Cox – Clarinet and Vocals
Joe Webb – Piano
Simon Read – Bass
Gethin Jones – Drums