Menu

Review: Volatile Light at the Harris Museum and Art Gallery

Posted on - 2nd August, 2013 - 11:00am | Author - | Posted in - Arts, Kid's stuff, Things to Do in and around Preston

 

Advertisement
Volatile light is a new exhibition at the Harris, complete with hands-on light makers for kids

Volatile light is a new exhibition at the Harris, complete with hands-on light makers for kids

Escape the showers and enjoy painting with light this summer. Volatile Light, new installation at the Harris Museum and Art Gallery, features an assortment of lights whizzing and spinning about a darkened room.

“We wanted to make an exciting environment with the machines and the tiny pinpoints of light attached to them enveloping the visitors,” says David Wheeler, creative director of IOU, the organisation who created the installation. “It isn’t trying to be a planetarium, but there are obvious similarities with the crossing orbits of all the different paths we can see the lights taking.”

Advertisements
Preston Weekender advert

I took my son along to the installation last week and he thought the machines, or ‘robots’ as he called them, were fantastic. He loved watching them whir about the room in the dark. The machines have been created from an array of upcycled materials, including windscreen wipers and bike parts.

“In the projection room this effect is continued,” says David. “I like to hear visitors describe what they see and interpret it for themselves.  Planets, underwater luminous creatures are often mentioned.”

A third room features computers and a bank of television screens with an array of illuminated toys, such as glow sticks and light-up windmills, so visitors to the installation can create their own paintings with light, as Picasso once did. My son really enjoyed brandishing his light sabre and slashing about in the dark to create a variety of images.

Advertisements

I wondered why David thought light was so exciting? Why does playing with light appeal to people?

“Mysterious, hypnotic a bit scary?” he says. “Perhaps we all have a moth-gene!”

Volatile Light at the Harris Museum and Art Gallery, Preston until 24th August 2013. Admission free.

Share
Advertisements
caritas fostering advert
Preston in pictures Preston Bus 207 PO56 JDX (Scania N94UB / East Lancs Esteem)24.03.24 - Penwortham [Church of St Mary] 240323JPGDSC_7658 - Bus stationDSC_7676 - Miller ArcadeDSC_7681 - former Post Office, cenotaph and Town HallDSC_7682 - Central Methodist church, Lune StreetDSC_7668 - Fish (aka Box) MarketDSC_7672 - Miller Arcade View more Advertisement Subscribe to the newsletter

Sign up below to receive Blog Preston's email newsletter. It wings its way into inboxes every Sunday and Wednesday rounding up our top stories and more.

Advertisement News by location

Find news by location, select an area of your choice to be kept up to date with the latest goings on.

The Preston Guide

Discover local businesses and services near you.

    Advertisements
Advertisement Categories

Find news by category, select an category of your choice to be kept up to date with the latest goings on.

Blog Preston email updates

Receive our digest of the biggest and best stories every Sunday to your email inbox

We respect your privacy and you can unsubscribe at any time from our emails