‘Street aquarium’ light art co-commission from Light up Lancaster and Put Big Light On, Bolton

I’ve been busy over the summer making a new light artwork called ‘Street Aquarium’ which will premiere at Light up Lancaster and Put Big Light On, Bolton this winter.

Last year I went on a light artist development programme called ‘Lightlab’ (with LightPool, Durham and Wigan) to see if it was feasible to take my alternative photographic practice into a light art festival environment. It gave me the skills, contacts and confidence to subsequently pitch my street aquarium idea. I’ve had amazing light art mentors in Liz West, Ronan Devlin and Chloe Rodham. I can’t thank you enough for your time and generosity sharing your expertise.

Inspired by visits to the 1940s aquarium at Bolton Museum, ‘Street Aquarium’ transforms familiar architecture into a magical underwater world – luminous, dreamlike and visible only after dark. It’s made from hundreds of hand-printed cyanotype frames and invites audiences to take time out, relax, and watch as ghostly fish shimmer and drift by. The animation begins life by hand: individual cyanotypes are made before being carefully edited and brought together through stop-motion animation. It’s a purposefully slow way of making, where marks, textures and imperfections made during the process remain an authentic part of my finished work.

Making for outdoor light art festivals is a totally different ballgame to what I’m used to with producing and exhibiting work for a gallery. The timescales, environment and creative logistics are hard, and I still have a ton of stuff to learn. It also takes a lot of people to make it happen. Thanks to everyone on the team who’s working so hard to bring Street Aquarium to life, especially George, Julie and Jo for believing in my idea in the first place.

Production Manager/Creative Tech: Simon Fletcher and James Sewell

Soundscape (recorded at the aquarium): Lizzie King.

Editor: Laura Spark

With thanks to Pete Liptrot, Collections Access Officer (Aquarium) for all his support.

Street Aquarium by Marge Bradshaw, commissioned by Light Up Lancaster and Put Big Light On, Bolton.

Image: still from Street Aquarium cyanotype animation, made from 990 hand printed cyanotype frames.