Illuminate Festival 2020

Description

ILLUMINATE FESTIVAL 2020

Oldham Light Night is an evening of illuminated performances, installations and a community parade across various sites in Oldham Town Centre.

Friday 21 February 2020 at 6-9pm

See Oldham in a new light as three of the town centre’s iconic venues play host to the borough’s late-night arts festival, ‘Illuminate’.

With a range of illuminative-themed performances, attractions and workshops lined up at Oldham’s Parish Church, Parliament Square and Gallery Oldham, there’s something for all of the family to enjoy on Friday 21 February from 6 to 9pm.

See Oldham town centre in a new light as our late-night arts festival returns for its fourth year. Explore our illuminated townscape from Gallery Oldham through to Parliament Square and on to Oldham Parish Church and play witness to mesmerising installations and dazzling performances.

Illuminate Parade, 6pm - The evening starts with a carnival procession of light from Gallery Oldham to the Old Town Hall, this year led by
Illuminated Robots and a sea of handmade community lanterns.

Family Lantern Making Sessions at Gallery Oldham Saturday 15 and Thursday 20 February, 10am–4pm (free)
Get involved and take part in the parade by making your very own lantern. No need to book but places are limited.

Discovery Arts Award at Illuminate Take an illuminated adventure across the town with Frolicked Outdoor Puppet Theatre. Pick up your clue sheet
from Gallery Oldham and complete the tasks to receive your Discover Arts Award – one lucky entrant will win a special illuminated prize. Suitable for ages 5–25.

Old Town Hall - The Illuminated Ocean, 6–9pm
See our spectacular Old Town Hall building transformed using a specially created 3D projection by artists Illuminos. As a young explorer heads into the ocean encountering bioluminescent jellyfish while avoiding plastics, they meet a giant of the sea. This illuminating tale is inspired by Gallery Oldham’s Natural History collection.

Oldham Parish Church:

Crypt by Candlelight, 6—8.30pm (Every half hour)
Take a guided tour of the church crypt, burial home of the famous Oldham Giant. Advance booking essential. Visit Eventbrite or call
0161 770 3070 to book your free place.

Hypercube, 6–9pm (Church Terrace)
Let this cube of multicoloured LED lights and one-way mirrors take you to another dimension. Look inside this creation by the Travelling Light Circus to see moving patterns of repeating lights.

Oldham Parish Church Gardens:

Halo, 6–9pm
Come and play with this interactive light and sound installation under the cover of trees. A series of towers covered in haloes will glow and sing out
as you physically interact with them to create a sonic and visual spectacle.

Fountains of Fire, 6–9pm
Watch as flames and water dance from majestic contraptions in these specially created sculptures by PA Boom.

Parliament Square:
Arctic Fox and Aurora, 6—9pm (Every hour)
Try to keep up with the lightning-fast Arctic Fox before he runs off into the night. Aurora is a celestial goddess from the Northern skies whose spirit will keep you dancing all night long.

I. O. L. A 2.0 and her Robot Drummers, 6.30pm and 8.30pm
In the future giant robots on stilts have taken over Earth, delivering the heaviest grooves and bug beats. Get ready to party like it’s 2999!

IFE, 6.30pm and 8.30pm
Watch your dreams come to life on the giant floating face and fall in love with her mesmerising stories.

Ghost Caribou, 7pm and 8pm
These giant illuminated creatures – part caribou, part spirit – roam a mystical world after dark, accompanied by a wild herdsperson. Using music,
song and shadow puppets, they tell stories of lost homes, impossible migrations and seeds of hope before continuing their journey into the night.

The Egyptian Room:
The Actual Reality Arcade, 6–9pm
Enter the arcade and play video games for real. The Actual Reality Arcade is a life-sized interactive zone inspired by classic arcade games so come and dodge barrels and lasers, build Tetris walls, shoot aliens and become Pac-Man.

Mr Wilson’s Second Liners, 6—8pm (Every hour)
Mr Wilson’s Second Liners form a traditional New Orleans Second Line. This is no sombre occasion though as the mischievous northerners pay homage to the diehard days of The Hacienda, 90s club culture and its greatest hero, Mr Tony Wilson.

The Lyceum:
Pendulum Wave Machine, 6–9pm
This mesmerising machine by Travelling Light Circus captivates all who watch it. Twenty steel balls seem to float like baubles of mercury before being set in motion to become a harmonious wave of dreamy beauty.

The Living Lamp Posts, 6.30 – 8.30pm (Every hour)
Standing at over 10ft tall, these noble and elegant lamp posts shine a new light on the pavements of Oldham. Witness their majesty as they explore their new surroundings, lighting up people’s faces and filling them with joy.

Gallery Oldham Gardens:
Museum of the Moon, 6–9pm
The Moon has always inspired humanity, reflecting the ideas and beliefs of all people around the world. It has been used as a timekeeper, calendar and a source of light to aid night time navigation. Throughout history the moon has inspired artists,poets, scientists, writers and musicians
the world over. Created by artist Luke Jerram and measuring seven metres in diameter, the moon features 120dpi detailed NASA imagery of the
lunar surface. At an approximate scale of 1:500,000, each centimetre of the internally lit spherical sculpture represents 5km of the moon’s surface. 

The installation is a fusion of the lunar imagery, moonlight and surround sound composition created by BAFTA and Ivor Novello award-winning composer Dan Jones.

Gallery Oldham:
Gallery Lates, 6–9pm
Explore our current exhibitions, including ‘Sounds Like Her’ curated by Christine Eyene which brings together six artists to explore what sound can mean in different contexts. Our Oldham Stories and community galleries are also open late for Illuminate. 

Hack the Light Fantastic, 6.30–9pm
Visit the Hack Oldham team and create your very own light-up accessory using some reusable and recycled materials.

Naked Bean at Night, 6.30–9pm
Enjoy the best new local music talent in the Naked Bean café.

Magic Lantern Show, 7pm and 8pm
Join local photographer Ian Beesley as he showcases some of the hundreds of fascinating treasured lantern slides in our museum collection.

Amaranthine, 7.30pm
An intricate and emotionally charged dance piece by Company Chameleon exploring modern-day male and female relationships.

Oldham Library:
Light-up the Library, 6–9pm
The library foyer will be full of exciting arts, crafts and glow in the dark activities with Oldham Play Action Group. Make a globe to re-create the moon using your own imagination and more.

The Tale of the Missing Star, 6–9pm
Watch out for Oldham Coliseum’s Young Rep Company as they perform a pop-up performance of ‘The Tale of the Missing Star’.

Dancing Diyas, 7pm and 8pm
The Indian Association Oldham dance company perform the traditional folk dance of Lord Krishan and Radha – a story of pure love and light taking over darkness.

Share your pictures on social media using #LoveOldham www.oldham.gov.uk/illuminate T: 0161 770 3070