The Brick box
Light Night Canning Town is London’s first Light Night, curated and produced by The Brick Box CIC, an arts organisation and social enterprise with a track record of empowering people to take part in arts and cultural activity in under used spaces. Following the success of the A13 Green project under a flyover in Canning Town, The Brick Box raised funds from a variety of sources to deliver Light Night Canning Town 2013, 2014 and plan to deliver a third festival in 2015.
Light Night Canning Town is a festival of light, community and energy, it is completely free and open to all. The programme of interventions and events is designed to entertain and illuminate, inspire and celebrate. Neon illuminations, interactive projections and glowing installations are just a few of the commissions that have lit the streets of Canning Town in the London Borough of Newham.
2014’s theme of ‘The Fire and the Stars’ was centred on the ancient tradition amongst many communities of gazing into flames and up at the stars, whilst telling stories and freeing our creativity. One of the key commissions was Uncanny Town, a piece by award winning lighting designers Speirs + Major which featured unique installations in the shop windows on Barking road which reflected the varieties of personalities along the high street.
Collaborating with Barking Road shopkeepers, the team of lighting designers from Speirs + Major dressed Canning Town’s high street for Light Night. They used light to create a story around discovered objects in four shops on Barking Road, providing a window into the local community and revealing the variety of personalities along the high street. Collaborating businesses were Caritas Anchor House (hostel and life skills centre for homeless adults), T. Cribb & Sons (funeral directors), Classic Dry Cleaners and Abigail's Cafe.
The celebrated installations drew thousands of local people and cultural tourists to the high street and promoted the independent business of Canning Town.
