Illuminating the Eastern City – A celebration of light in London.

Brightening the city with light artworks from Tuesday, December 2nd.

Hive Curates and Eastern City BID are excited to announce the start of a series of City Light
Illuminations, a key highlight of the ongoing Festival of Light winter programme. This initiative continues by shining a spotlight on city landmarks, featuring 55 Old Broad Street.

Following Dame Joan Collins switching on the lights for London’s tallest sustainable Christmas
tree, the winter programme will feature striking and unexpected light installations created by
specially commissioned artists, bringing surprise and wonder to the streets.

Standing on the corner of three significant streets in the Eastern City, the prominent facade of 55 Old Broad Street will be transformed after dark, with the stunning, nature-inspired work of Graphic Rewilding. Working together under the name Graphic Rewilding, Lee Baker and Catherine Borowski are dedicated to using nature-inspired art to improve people’s quality of life.

Catherine Borowski explains “In 2019 studies appearing in Frontiers in Psychology showed that a
20 minute walk in nature is enough to significantly improve your mood and reduce feelings of
stress and anxiety. A walk in nature improves your mood, but it’s also been shown that exposure
to pictures of nature has a similar effect.”

“We automatically think that projected art should be fast and flashy but we decided to slow it right down to the beat of a butterfly wing. To allow the work to breathe, much like a church window, the more you look up at it, the more you see. It works on so many levels – if you’re rushing the overall impression is one of wow, but if you invest just a few seconds more you’ll uncover some tiny magical moments. The work gives people the time and space to watch in stillness, helping to calm the brain during what can be an extremely sensorily busy time of the year. We wanted to create a visual meditation, a slow-paced animation to contrast with the high speed industries that are associated with the City.”

By illuminating the city and enriching our urban environment with extraordinary artistic pieces,
Hive Curates and Eastern City BID aim to spark creativity and provide passersby with joyful
moments as they stroll through the city. You can see the projection from 5 until 10pm from
Monday 2nd to Sunday 15th December.

The programme will also include an impressive group exhibition titled ‘Hope, Joy and Divination’,
at Broadworks gallery, showcasing vibrant neon artworks created by talented light artists.
Drawing on the overall vision of bringing light and optimism to everyday lives, the exhibition
invites visitors to explore how we relate to the world and ourselves in both good and hard times.
The artworks’ themes and colours will offer a respite on the busy street, complementing Graphic
Rewilding’s installation nearby. The exhibition features an array of contemporary pieces by Chila
Burman MBE, Eve De Haan, Daisy Doig, Mark Beattie, Jochen Holz, Lauren Baker and Tiziano
Summo.

‘Hope, Joy and Divination’ runs from Tuesday 3rd until Thursday 12th Dec, 11am-6pm (Broadworks
Gallery Opens Tuesdays-Fridays). The exhibition private view is on Thursday 5th December, 5pm
until 9pm (free, booking required via eventbrite).

Adding to the festive spirit, the Broadworks Christmas Party will also take place on Thursday, December 5th, from 5pm to 11pm, offering an evening of mulled wine, live music on the terrace from Linett Kamala, and open studios featuring resident artists. Whether you come for the dazzling light installations, the inspiring neon artworks, or the festive celebration, the Eastern City promises a winter experience filled with creativity, community, and cheer.

Find out more

The City Light Illuminations programme continues throughout the winter so keep your eyes
peeled for more updates!

City Light Illuminations – About the artists

Graphic Rewilding
Artistic duo Lee Baker and Catherine Borowski are based in Brighton. As an artistic
counterbalance to the severe lack of green space in cities, Lee Baker and Catherine Borowski
co-founded Graphic Rewilding to create vast, flower inspired, attention grabbing, positivity
inducing artworks and immersive environments in often-overlooked and under-appreciated urban
spaces.

‘Hope, Light and Divination’ exhibition – About the artists:
Since the 1980’s Chila Kumari Singh Burman has been exploring the experiences and aesthetics
of Asian femininity in paintings and installations, photography and printmaking, video and film.
Challenging stereotypical assumptions of Asian women, Chila’s work is informed by popular
culture, Bollywood, fashion, found objects, the celebration of femininity; self-portraiture exploring
the production of my own sexuality and dynamism; the relationship between popular culture and
high art; gender and identity politics. As well as being awarded numerous accolades over the
years, including her honorary doctorate from the University of the Arts London in 2018, on 1st
June 2022, Chila was given an MBE in the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Honours, for services to art.
Based in London, Eve De Haan’s portfolio is replete with neon artworks, each sharing a different
story, thought or catchphrase through short snippets of text. It’s an approach that developed out
of her theology degree, where she realised encapsulating narratives through the written word
was the best way to evoke collective emotions in an audience. Neon has allowed her to explore
“how malleable definitions of words and phrases can be.” Eve’s artworks probe topics including
technology, youth culture, and relationships.

Lauren Baker is a British contemporary multidisciplinary artist who exhibits internationally. Her
work explores symbolism, higher realms of consciousness, and communing with nature and the
elements. Lauren’s signature light works exude energy through her celestial chakra artworks.
Passionate about environmental issues and sustainability, the artist uses light to express the
‘secrets of the universe’ and aims to raise the vibration of love and connection within the world.
Mark Beattie is a British award-winning sculptor, who creates abstract sculptures using various
metals ranging in size from miniature to monumental. Each sculpture is unique and finished in a
way that is sensitive to the material. He has developed a signature style through which his
sculptures contain movement and fluidity. While neon is a newer addition to his practice, it works
in harmony with his metalwork and has added a sense of energy to his work.
Daisy Doig is a neon artist based in Brighton, UK. Taking inspiration from the chaos, fragility and
beauty of human life, her art touches on both the heavy, uncomfortable moments and visual
treasures found along the way. Blending traditional techniques with unfiltered illustrations,
Daisy’s work has received international acclaim.

Jochen Holz is a London-based master glass maker. Specialised in lampworking, Holz transforms
high quality glass tubes into one-off glassware, bespoke objects, jewellery, and neon light
sculptures. By letting the process and materiality of molten glass play a central role in his
practice, a high level of spontaneous decisions and intuition are present in his design.
Tiziano Summo’s artwork merges the rural and urban, traditional and contemporary, and
encourages reflection on our relationship with death. The darkness of death is contrasted with
the energy of neon, blending natural decay with artificial light. Tiziano’s artwork merges the rural
and urban, traditional and contemporary, and encourages reflection on our relationship with
death. ‘Memento Mori’ prompts viewers to recognize death as an illuminating force, emphasizing
life’s transience and urging us to embrace it.

‘Hope, Joy and Divination’ exhibition
Exhibition Private View: Thursday 5th December, 5-9pm
Exhibition Running Dates: Tuesday 3rd-Thursday 12th Dec︱11-6pm (open Tuesdays-Fridays)
Location: Broadworks, 56a Old Broad Street, London, EC2M 1RX
Relevant Links:

‘Hope, Joy and Divination’ Artist websites:
https://www.chilaburman.com/
https://www.daisydoigneon.com/
https://laurenbakerart.com/
https://www.markbeattie.co.uk/
http://jochenholz.com/
https://www.halfaroastchicken.com/
https://tizianosummo.com/

City Light Illuminations Artist websites:
https://www.graphicrewilding.com/