New light shines on cathedral for British Science Festival
Friday 4 September 2009
A stunning new lighting scheme will spotlight Guildford Cathedral for the arrival of the British Science Festival at the University of Surrey in early September (5-10). Using state-of-the-art technologies which minimise light pollution, it will celebrate the International Year of Astronomy, a Science Festival theme, by providing improved visibility of the night sky.
The lighting scheme was generated by a partnership between Surrey lighting manufacturer Oldham Lighting and consulting engineers BDSP, following an invitation by Festival partners SEEDA (South East England Development Agency) for local businesses to use the Festival to showcase their talents. The two companies have, between them, previously worked on a range of landmark lighting projects including the Whispering Gallery at St. Paul’s Cathedral and 30 St. Mary Axe.
Replacing the cathedral’s existing night-time illuminations for a week from 7 September, the scheme will provide a spectacular focal point for the celebration of science in Surrey.
‘The new temporary scheme is designed to accentuate the detailed features of the cathedral in cool colours and to present a new perspective on its form and size,’ says Farhad Rahim of BDSP Partnership. ‘The central tower will feature a piece of special, festival-specific, lighting while a combination of narrow beam spot lights and linear lighting will illuminate windows, doors and the cathedral’s copper roof. ‘
‘We’re delighted that Oldham Lighting and BDSP have come forward with this project, which is both an inspiring way to celebrate the Festival, and to re-interpret one of Surrey’s most iconic buildings,’ says Joanne Coleman, Festival Manager at the British Science Association. ‘We’ve been extremely impressed with the level of enthusiasm for the Festival we’ve had from local partners. The project originally came out of a meeting between SEEDA and Surrey-based brand consultants, Verve, regarding the involvement of their client, Oldham Lighting in the Festival. Since then, we’ve had fantastic support from BDSP, the cathedral, the university and Guildford Borough Council. It really is a tribute to the creativity, vision and commitment of all involved.’
In addition to the minimisation of light polluting effects, another major environmental benefit of the new scheme is the reduction of electrical energy consumption by at least two thirds, with the potential to significantly reduce carbon emissions and the cathedral’s energy bills.
‘This is a tremendous way for the cathedral to mark the British Science Festival’s visit to Surrey this year,’ says Tony Lyddon, Guildford Cathedral’s Administrator. ‘An exciting possible future legacy of the project, is the installation of a longer term scheme based on the Festival-linked model which, because of the environmental and potential cost benefits, we’re extremely interested in pursuing.’
The switching on of the new lighting scheme on the evening of 7 September will be heralded by a vertical dance performance, ‘Descent of the Angel’. Performed by Kate Lawrence, a lecturer in Dance Studies at the University of Surrey, the dance celebrates the university’s participation in the Festival and its excellence in both scientific and artistic disciplines.
For safety reasons, access to the cathedral is limited on the evening of the switch on. Instead organisers hope that local people will look towards the cathedral at around 8.15pm if they would like to see the lights go on. The lighting scheme will then stay in place throughout the British Science Festival and for Heritage Open Days weekend on 12 and 13 September.
For more information about the British Science Festival please visit www.britishsciencefestival.org
Media Enquiries
Peter La, Press Office at the University of Surrey, Tel: +44 (0)1483 689191, or Email mediarelations@surrey.ac.uk
