Building Design Partnership - General - BDP 'Guerrilla' Lighting Event

Date: 04 Dec 2006

Q How do you transform three sites in the middle of Manchester in 20 minutes?
A With 45 torches, 110 LEDs, 60 people and the BDP Lighting group

An army of over 60 members of the North West's lighting design community took to the streets of Manchester last night (30 November). Six teams comprising members from the lighting industry were led around three chosen sites within the city of Manchester by BDP Lighting. Under the guidance of the team leaders, each member took part in creating transient lighting designs by using torches, filters and gobos. Instructed to be in a specific position and at a given distance from their target, the teams simultaneously lit up various aspects of the city's architecture, creating a spectacle that distracted even the most ardent Christmas shopper.

The teams were made up of local lighting designers, architects, interior designers and manufacturers, all of whom are keen to draw attention to the possibilities, and importance of, lighting in the urban environment. Whilst other cities have already capitalised on the use of light, Manchester has yet to exploit lighting to show off its amazing architectural heritage. This is Britain's first guerilla lighting event which was designed to challenge people's perception of the city and inspire a new thinking within the industry circles. If these transformations were achieved through 20 minutes of battery power, what are the possibilities through permanent lighting installations?

Expanded from the established lighting team in its London office, BDP's Northern lighting group based in Manchester is determined to draw attention to the value of lighting and the extent to which it can have an impact on the cities in which we work, live and play. The group is currently working on the Paradise Street Development Area in Liverpool and has just won the commission to light the entrance to Liverpool Lime Street Station.

Supporters of the BDP Guerrilla Lighting event included Deltalight, Fagerhult, Osram, Louis Poulsen, Concord Marlin, Philips, Siteco, Zumtobel.

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