Art / light
19th century building gets permanent light installation
A light artwork has been installed in a 19th century building, as a homage to the Bristol Light Festival.
The Granary in Welsh Back will now be lit permanently, with circular lights and a horizontal projection that is the brainchild of Weston-super-Mare artist Paula Birtwistle.
Birtwistle, best known for her conception of the GLOW festival in Weston-super-Mare was happy to be involved in Bristol’s annual light festival.
is needed now More than ever
She added: “It was lovely to meet the team at The Granary, and see just how much they love Bristol. I just loved the idea that they wanted to get involved in the light festival.
A version of the swings we now see as part of the Bristol Light Festival were also installed in Victoria Park in Portsmouth – photo: We Shine Portsmouth
Birtwistle continued: “We came up with lots of different ideas and then we settled on something that was manageable in a pretty short time frame. The light ties into the architecture of the building and it really gives light to that end of the building.”
The restaurant takes up the ground floor and basement in the historic Granary building that was built in 1869 as a granary for Wait, James and Co. While the higher floors in the building are now apartments, husband and wife pair Puja and Sumit Chadha have made attempts to preserve the history and architectural aspects of the building through their restaurant and bar.
Inside the restaurant, most furniture has been upcycled from discarded units. The couple hopes to instill sustainability into every aspect of their venture.
While the light installations at the entrance of the building are not part of the official Bristol Light Festival map, they add to the fun and frolic of the festival by giving passers-by something to admire and appreciate.
According to Birtwistle, the lights show a “hidden” element of the building: “When we tested the lights, people were just enjoying walking past and looking up at the building maybe for the first time.
“When you’re walking around a cobbled street you look down, but now people are looking up and they are like ‘WOW’. They’re just seeing it all with new eyes.”
Main photo: Karen Johnson
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