Sub mer sion
9th - 11th February 2015
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Introduction Light festivals give people a chance to visit new places off the beaten track and see parts of a city or town they wouldn’t normally see. It gives a new light to the area The most popular light festivals usually fall on a weekend and last for around 4 days. A lot of light festivals come from religious backgrounds. For example, Lyon’s Fete Des Lumieres first became a festival to celebrate and thank Mary, the mother of god after saving the city from plague. This festival will bring new life to the closes and courts off the Royal Mile and give new artists and designers a chance to showcase their works in the city.
SUBmersion The theme for Edinburgh’s Light Festival is ‘Submersion’. Each close will transform into a completely different atmosphere, submerging you in different environments and making you feel as though you are no longer in Edinburgh’s old town and instead have been transported into another time or place. The atmosphere of each close will be created through the use of lighting and sound.
Stills taken from video shot in Mediterranean
background research Light festivals A number of light festivals were researched before designing ‘Submersion’ to get more of an idea of what is involved during such an event. The most popular light festivals usually have around 80 light installations and last around 4 days. Berlin’s Festival of Lights lasts longer, this year lighting up the city for 10 days. The range of installations in a light festival can vary from completely interactive installations to more visual installations using animation, video and colour.
Top (Left to Right): Vivd Sydney (acrossoceania.com), Berlin Festival of Lights (huffpost.com), Ghent Light Festival (lightfestivalgent.be) Middle (Left to Right): Glow Light Festival (holland.com), Winter Illuminations (flickr.com), Kobe Luminarie (japantravel.com) Bottom (Left to Right): Ice Sculptures and Light Festival (designyoutrust.com), Durham Lumiere (bbc.co.uk), Enchanted Forest (bbc.co.uk)
background research fete des lumieres, lyon - 6-9th december 2013 Fete Des Lumieres ultimately celebrates Mary, mother of Jesus, on the 8th of December, after ridding the city of plague in 1643. Every house originally placed candles outside their windows on this day in thanks to Mary. Today the city’s council runs professional performances during the festival, which usually lasts 4 days, bringing 4 million visitors to Lyon from all over the world, to view around 80 light installations spread throughout the city. Last year I travelled to and stayed in Lyon during the festival. It was almost impossible to visit every light installation in the time I was there but in choosing my own route, I managed to see the majority of the ones I was most interested in.
Top (Left to Right): Les Prince Des Lumieres, Lost Paradise, Show Case Middle (Left to Right): Rencontres, Pierrot Le Feu, Rencontres Bottom (Left to Right): View From Basilica of Notre Dame de Fourviere, Les Prince Des Lumieres, Installation Behind Water Feature
background research Field of light - St Andrew’s square, edinburgh Field of Light is an installation designed and created by Bruce Munro. It is currently being exhibited in St. Andrew’s Square in Edinburgh and will be there until the 27th of April 2014. It is an optical fibre based installation designed to be an immersive experience for people as they walk through the pathways in the square. 9,500 lighted glass spheres rise from the ground creating an ‘otherworldly’ but ‘natural’ effect. This is the first time ‘Field of Light’ has been exhibited in an urban space. The installation completely transforms the space inside St. Andrew’s Square from what was an open park, barely used except for the pathways, into a field of shimmering, rainbow coloured lights. I visited the installation on Monday 10th February to experience it for myself. The pictures shown are photographs I took that night.
Information From brucemunro.co.uk and edinburgh.gov.uk
background research Edinburgh’s closes - Day In week one I walked the length of the Royal Mile, photographing each of the closes. Doing so during the day opened my eyes to the uses of the closes. Some of the closes are being used to hold waste bins and have back entrances and kitchen doors to restaurants and shops. A lot of the closes I visited are being used as entrances to housing, some of which are gated and private. Other gated closes are closed completely or to public for use of businesses. North Gray’s Close is an example of abandonment, being deprived and neglected as a public space, which has resulted in illegal activities taking place, such as drug abuse. Each space varies in height and width. The entrances to James’ Court are very narrow whereas Carubber’s Close is quite wide and open and Anchors Close doesn’t have a tunnel entrance like most others. Top (Left to Right): James’ Court Entrance, North Gray’s Close, Looking Up in Bailie Fyfe’s Close Middle (Left to Right): Milne’s Court, Tweedale Court Entrance, House of Archbishop Spottiswood (1578) in Carubber’s Close Bottom (Left to Right): Cant’s Close, Behind Worlds End Close, Warriston’s Close Entrance
background research Edinburgh’s closes - night At night the closes become unfamiliar and only some are lit by the old street lights or more modern outdoor lights. You would expect James’ Court to be well lit with it being such a large and open space but it is in fact one of darkest, the only light coming from inside the buildings surrounding the court. The unlit closes hold no light at all as the majority are shaded from moonlight and they become almost impossible to walk through. The well-lit closes and courts give a different atmosphere to when they viewed in daylight. Chessel’s Court feels more welcoming at night whereas during the day it seems like an unused space. There are a few hidden treasures that you would not normally see during the day, like the stained glass in the corner of James’ Court.
Top (Left to Right): Old Tolbooth Wynd, Chessel’s Court, Gibb’s Close Middle (Left to Right): South Gray’s Close, Stained Glass Window in James’ Court, Anchor Close Bottom (Left to Right): North Gray’s Close, Chalmer’s Close, Baron Maule’s Close
target audience Zack is a 24 year old, recent graduate from London. United Kingdom. He studied Digital Design and is very interested in interactive experiences. He lives with his girlfriend, Sarah, with whom he has been in a relationship with since leaving school. Health and fitness has always been a major part of Zack’s life and he has always been involved in sports. Throughout his 4 years at University, Zack travelled around Europe, sightseeing and visiting various light festivals such as Lyon’s Fete Des Lumieres and Berlin’s Festival of Lights. As travelling is a passion of his, he plans to step outside of Europe and visit Asia in the next year and hopes to see some of China and Japan’s light festivals. After hearing about a new light festival starting in Edinburgh in 2015, Zack immediately made plans to visit the city before hotels started to get full.
target audience Mary Macpherson is a retired nurse and lives in Devon with her husband Bill. She loves reading home and garden magazines and spending time with her family, especially since her 35 year old son recently had another baby with his wife. Growing up, Mary lived in the Highlands of Scotland and has always loved the outdoors. She spends a lot of time outside with their dog, Jackson, on long walks in the countryside. When they retired, Mary and Bill made plans to travel the world and have so far visited Asia and North American and have just returned from Australia where they spent their Christmas with their family. At the end of the year they have planned to travel the United Kingdom, first visiting Scotland and extending their stay there for Hogmanay and to see a new light festival on the streets where Mary spent her days at University.
Task Research Festival Plan Corporate Identiy Printed Materials Digital Platforms Developing Installation Ideas Developing Installation Live Testing Presentations
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Project plan The first seven weeks of this semester will be spent researching and designing the light festival. All research should not take any longer than five weeks and the design of the festival will last three weeks, completing these elements in time for the first deadline in week 7. Week 7 onwards will be focusing on the design of a light installation with some live testing and filming around weeks ten and eleven. Presentations of this project take place during weeks twelve and thirteen.
FESTIVAL ROUTE The proposed route is only a guide. Visitors can make their own route if preferred. Each close taking part in the festival will be clearly marked and maps will be available. Visitors following the route set out will start on the Castle hill and work their way down starting with James Court. After leaving James Court, the visitors will walk down Advocates close until they come to Cockburn Street and then find the narrow entrance to Anchor Close. The walk up Anchor Close will lead them back up to the Royal Mile where they will find Fleshmarket Close. Only the first part of Fleshmarket Close will hold an installation. This brings them back to Cockburn Street where they are guided up the hill and round the corner to Carubber’s Close. Visitors will walk down the left hand side of this close and back up on the right back to the Royal Mile where the next close, Bailie Fyfe’s Close will lead them round into Paisley Close and again back onto the Royal Mile. The route then guides them to Fountain Close, on the other side of the Royal Mile. At the back of Fountain Close is a private car park which leads on to South Gray’s Close. Stevenlaw’s Close is next on the list and then Old Assembly Close. After Old Assembly Close comes Borthwick’s Close which you follow down all the way to Cowgate and back up Old Fishmarket’s Close to the end of the route back on the Royal Mile.
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branding The branding for the light festival was designed to reflect the theme of ‘submersion’. In the festival’s corporate identity, the typeface ‘Couture Bold’ was used as it stood out the most and is legible even when the size is reduced. Multi coloured circles positioned on the left hand side of the text represent the lights of the festival and the colour scheme of the festival and give the logo a more exciting look. Red (C 0, M 99, Y 100, K 0), Orange (C 0, M 55, Y 100, K 0), Yellow (C 9, M 0, Y 100, K 0), Green (C 62, M 0, Y 100, K 0), Blue (C 52, M 0, Y 16, K 0), Purple (C 27, M 81, Y 0, K 0)
basic title font
couture
basic title font
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basic title font
Champagne & Limousines Champagne & Limousines Champagne & Limousines
couture
type faces Three typefaces have been picked out for the designs of Submersion. Basic Title Font was chosen to be used for headings and titles in the printed materials. It is also used in this presentation. Champagne & Limousines is used for the main body text in the printed materials and digital platforms. It was chosen because of the legibility and clean look. Couture is the typeface used in the corporate identity. It is a bold font and stands out well in all supporting materials for the festival.
digital platforms Website When you enter the website the first thing you see on the home page is pictures of the lighting installations featured in the light festival. Sponsors and partners logos would be featured under the logo on the top left corner and would also be featured throughout the website in the same place. The navigation rollovers follow the colour scheme for the festival and tie in with the design of the logo. A news page features a live Twitter feed where you can receive up to date information and if you click on ‘Practical Information’ you will find 4 icons that would link you to other pages, possibly outside websites of sponsors or partners. The typeface used throughout the website is ‘Champagne & Limousines’ which is also used in this publication.
digital platforms App This app would be readily available to download from the app store. The posters and leaflets would include a QR code to easily access the download. When opening the app, there will be a short animation with the festival’s logo. This then leads onto the home page off the app where you have four buttons to choose from. Artist Information would be given including information on the installations being shown in Submersion. A map of the Royal Mile and locations of the participating closes would be provided with a choice of having a 3D guide directing you through the proposed route. You are encouraged to submit your photos of the event and can browse through other visitors’ uploaded photos in the gallery.
Sub mer sion edinburgh’s light festival 9th - 11th February 2015
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edinburgh’s light festival 9th - 11th February 2015
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printed materials The posters and leaflets introducing Submersion will show the logo primarily and include the dates of the festival. Future posters and leaflets would also include images of the installations and a QR code connecting you straight to the website or app store to download the supporting app. A map will feature on the back of the leaflet showing you where the closes are situated and how to get there by walking, bus or driving. There will be information about each installation and its artist included in the leaflet too. The leaflet could also be expanded to make a brochure which would feature more information and maps.
open call If you would like to volunteer or participate in designing an installation as part of Submersion, please send your digital portfolio and information to apply@submersion.com. Please include your choice of environment and a short paragraph introducing your idea. If you Examples Under Water Jungle/Forest Desert Virtual Space Back in Time Tundra Highlands Post Apocalypse Future
References - Vivid Sydney - http://www.acrossoceania.com/wp-content/gallery/corporate/img_5736bis.jpg - Berlin Light Festival - http://i.huffpost.com/gen/1418993/thumbs/o-FESTIVAL-OF-LIGHTS-BERLIN-570. jpg?2 - Ghent Light Festival - http://www.lichtfestivalgent.be/en/ - Glow Light Festival - http://www.holland.com/upload_mm/d/8/5/29006_fullimage_GLOW%20Eind hoven%20Studio%20Vollaerszwart%20photo%20by%20Claus%20Langer_560x350.jpg - Winter Illuminations - http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7289/10796979436_1c01567158_o.jpg - Kobe Luminarie - http://en.japantravel.com/photo/sbj-photo21824/740!/photo21824.jpg - Ice Sculptures and Light Festival - http://designyoutrust.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/2140.jpg - Durham Lumiere Festival - http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/71110000/jp g/_71110230_19859matthewandrews2012.jpg - Enchanted Forst - http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/63299000/jpg/_63299307_enchantedfor est.jpg - www.brucemunro.co.uk - www.edinburgh.gov.uk
Designed by Natalie smith