LightNight Liverpool 2016 announces commissions programme

LIGHTNIGHT, Liverpool's 1 night arts festival, returns, at 5pm, on Friday, 13 May 2016. This year the festival will feature 13 new commissions alongside its packed programme of projections, performances, science demonstrations, live music and hands on art workshops.  These new works have been commissioned by festival producers Open Culture and partners including Ad Hoc Creative, Physical Fest and the Albert Dock and feature local and regional artists, producers and organisations responding to this year's theme of:- 'Experiment'.

Details of individual commissions can be found below:-

Illumaphonium:- a dynamic large scale, multisensory installation created by musician and inventor Michael Davis. Everyone is invited to the LJMU John Lennon Art and Design Building to play this semi acoustic, semi-automatic music making sculpture. A beautifully tuned array of 250 illuminated aluminium chrome bars respond to touch with constantly evolving patterns of light and sound that spread out in ripples over the surface. Info.

OP POP Matrix:- Artist Andy McKeown is creating a multi user projection environment also at LJMU John Lennon Art and Design Building. This interactive immersive light installation uses a series of individual control stations which are under the control of the audience. Each layer of the Matrix contains 7 pattern forms, meshes, grids, discs, spots, lines and shapes. The audience creates the work by controlling the towers with both the projection and themselves. Co-operation or chaos? Info.

The Cage of Experiments:- an eclectic mix of music, theatre and performance from Liverpool's alternative creative community. Curated by Katy-Anne Bellis of Caustic Widows, a giant birdcage in the Bluecoat courtyard will be filled with a feast of visual and musical experiments. Take part in a mass group waltz, discover acrobatic parrots and enjoy ambient sounds throughout the night. Info.

disSociation:- a space to absorb and reflect on the LightNight experience by local production group Deep Hedonia, consisting of a responsive video installation and discussion lab also at the Bluecoat. Participants will be invited to look at the nature of accelerated communication during a large art event like LightNight, with the aim of exploring the relationship between artist and audience. Info.

Neu Collective Consciousness:- Artists Logan and Wilcox invite audience to Everyman Theatre to create a bio-cybernetic system. Using a number of sensory technologies which monitor brain waves and heart rate, the installation explores different possibilities of creating a co-authored AV environment made up directly from reactions of the human body and a cybernetic machine. Info.

City Sites:- The Mindset Ensemble, founded by composer Mark Jones, present a new piece of music inspired by the recent loss of some of Liverpool's music venues. This 10min UK premiere considers the sadness felt by the community of people around these venues and asks: do future sites offer a solution, a solid creative future? The performance at the Nordic Church will be accompanied by a new video from artist Laura Spark and followed by a performance from the Sweet Jam Band. Info.

Afterglow:- Artists Carlos Bernal's immersive light and sound installation will be at the Black-E. With mapped light projections onto 6 consecutive screens it will create a new dimension, a space time tunnel where the energy of light is transferred and transformed. Info.

Afloat, in Land:- a new AV performance by Friend or Foe 'Afloat, In Land' transforms the VGandM's historic Leggate Theatre into a multi channel video and sound environment as they present new musical works, written during their 3 month residency in a remote town on the north coast of Iceland. Exploring themes, memories, myths and dreams connected with the people and places they encountered. Info.

Gizzago's Pop Up Playground:- Unlocking the City's playful potential Gizzago create three pop up playgrounds that encourage you to play with public spaces in awesome new ways. Mixing digital, social and physical game play, Gizzago provide a glimpse of the future of experimental street game culture. Choose from Turtle Wushu at Steble Fountain or Johann Sebastian Joust and Maypole Mayhem at the Anglican Cathedral Plateau and remember how good it feels to play outside! Info.

Flock:- You'll find this unusual tribe of birdlike bikers on Church Street, LJMU Aldham Robarts Library and William Brown Street. Boisterous and playful they ruffle their feathers and flaunt their leathers bringing you strange customs and dazzling displays of prowess. Perhaps you'll find yourself a winner in one of their rituals or being swept away in a saddle of their noisy gleaming cavalcade. Dare to join in and it'll give you something to Tweet about. Created and performed by Foolsize Theatre and commissioned by Physical Fest. Info.

Love Without Sound:- Pixophtyoflora: Artist David Badger creates a visually sparkling experimental video with a live ambient electronic soundtrack at the Liverpool Medical Institution. Come and relax as you peacefully reflect on how computer imaging technology can be used to grow and 'simulate' simple living creatures and soak up the electronica. Info.

No Worst, There Is None:- some of Liverpool's leading creative lights come together for this very special one off performance at the Anglican Cathedral. Bill Ryder Jones has composed a sweeping orchestral response to the Gerard Manley Hopkins poem from which this project takes its name, with the piece arranged for a unique musical collective featuring the Liverpool Anglican Cathedral Choir by IMMIX Ensemble founder Daniel Thorne. Presented within an immersive light and AV environment created live by visual artists Sam and Damien Wiehl. No Worst, There Is None is commissioned by Ad Hoc Creative. Info.

Météo-Dock:- An experimental weather-ship; this promenade performance sees an 8 strong crew of dancers and musicians create an unfolding, processional conveyor belt with responses to meteorological conditions on the Albert Dock. Surprising and delighting audiences of all ages, engaging you musically and visually as you follow the weather ship. Commissioned for LightNight by Albert Dock Liverpool and created by TiLT. Info.

Clare Rawlinson, marketing manager, Albert Dock Liverpool, said:- "Celebrating the ever changing weather conditions we experience here down at the Dock, Météo Dock promises spectators a wonderful spring evening of dance and music, set against the beautiful backdrop of Albert Dock's Grade I listed warehouses. LightNight is a magical evening on the City's event calendar, and we are delighted to be working closely with Open Culture and TiLT in bringing this exciting commission to life."

Charlotte Corrie, Director of Open Culture the LightNight festival producers, said:- 'It's important for us to commission new work, keeping the LightNight programme fresh and unique. It also guarantees that audiences will experience something new and different, which fits with our theme this year of 'Experiment'. As an organisation one of our key aims is to give a platform to the incredible creative talent in the City and the region, and we want visitors to LightNight to have an incredible night, plus being inspired to engage in the regions arts year round.'

Produced by social enterprise Open Culture since 2009, LightNight Liverpool sees tens of thousands of visitors explore, experiment and celebrate the City's world class cultural offer across galleries, museums and City's streets late into the night with a programme of over 100 free events.  LightNight festival guides can be ordered online or pick one up for just £1 from guide stockists:- Liverpool Everyman, St George's Hall, 92 Degrees Coffee, Tate Liverpool, Open Eye Gallery, St John's Beacon, The Bluecoat, Anglican Cathedral, News from Nowhere, Victoria Gallery and Museum, FACT, Central Library, Tourist Information at the Albert Dock, Baltic Bakehouse and Furrow café on Allerton Road.