Illuminating York Review

Last night I dropped in on the Illuminating York exhibits. In previous years, there were more varied, smaller events in old churches around York (we have quite a few of those) but this year there were only four main events.

The first was some bangin’ choons and some two people doodling with another doing the zoomy animation (it seemed). It all was projected onto the tower in Museum gardens and very colourful. At 8PM, an artist arrived “all the way from Venezuala” and hilariously did some doodles like a precious granny playing Pictionary – you know those artful flicks and embelishments that the insane quivver onto the page.

The striking thing to me was that here was a medium that had something (dualling doodlers) being used by people that didn’t.

Then there was a piece at the back of King’s Manor by Bright White. It was visually very lovely, with animations of owls and moons and moles and foxes and hedgehogs – what’s not to love? But it felt like a 10 minute ident for a spooky nature channel.

For me, any installation of this kind should have some empathy for the space and so almost rule itself out from being used elsewhere, whereas this felt like an experience that would work just as well in a cinema in Cleethorpes or projected onto a Library in Macclesfield.

For me, this piece broke the cardinal rule that I call “Don’t Just Project Stuff Onto A Wall”… in that no thought was put into this wall, the shapes that are already there, the history, anything. I have a friend who’s telly is almost as big as the wall of King’s Manor, what is brought to piece by not having central heating, comfy sofas to sit on and Sky.

To put it another way.. if you are going to “Just Project Stuff Onto A Wall”  why not use all the walls in the courtyard and live a little. Do something that can’t be compared to my mate’s telly.

We missed the KMA piece (it’d ended) but I can guess what it was all about. It was called 5circles so using the vast powers of my imagination I can see an installation where you walk about a bit and circles of light follow you around. KMA already have this particular “been there done that” badge, maybe they should move on or set their ambitions a bit higher now.

I did see some lights on a tree that might have been an artwork or maybe it was just the mushrooms kicking in.

I think York City council are being ripped off a bit because, although enjoyable, lots of the work isn’t art – it’s more like entertainment where the chances of catching your death are quite high.

York City council should maybe also think about the permanence of the pieces. If you remember when they projected candy colours onto the Minster, it was fantastic, what a sight!  That piece should be shown every Illuminating York if only for a few hours.

If the pieces could be easily re-constructed (or left in situ) then each and every year the Illuminating York thing would only get bigger and better. It needs to.