The event due to take place on 15 May will not go ahead, but there WILL be an online version
It’s strangely appropriate that the theme of this year’s annual LightNight festival was going to be ‘home’, since we are all now spending a lot more time in ours - for better or worse. The one-night arts and culture festival usually takes over the streets and venues of Liverpool with its explosion of creativity but this year, as with many other events in the calendar, things will be different.
participating in art has time and time again been shown to have a positive effect on wellbeing and mental health
Organisers Open Culture have adapted to these interesting times and are taking the opportunity to celebrate art, artists and creatives in a different way. The usual culture crawl around the city’s arts venues will not go ahead as planned but an online celebration of the city's creatives is set to take place this Friday.
Of course, home is not necessarily just the physical dwelling where you live right now, but also an idea, a feeling of community, connection or family, perhaps a childhood memory. Artists, musicians, writers and performers involved in this year's event were asked to evoke not just that pin on a map but a feeling or an emotion in their work for this year’s event.
Hundreds of free events were due to take place responding to the theme of home with new work. All that work is thankfully not going to be lost in the chaos of Covid-19 and while many of these events cannot be replicated fully online, organisers are asking the city's residents to join them in celebrating as much as possible the breadth of creativity that makes events like this such a joy to be a part of.
Lockdown brings with it many emotional challenges and participating in art - whether that’s creating something yourself or enjoying the work of others - has time and time again been shown to have a positive effect on wellbeing and mental health. Social enterprise Open Culture wants you and everyone you know to take part in more arty stuff around Liverpool and the region for this very reason.
Charlotte Corrie, Director, Open Culture said:
"We chose the theme of ‘Home’ for LightNight 2020 well over a year ago, because it encompasses a broad scope of ideas that we can all relate to. We never expected that our theme of ‘Home’ would become even more resonant during this unprecedented lockdown, and whilst LightNight cannot be replicated virtually we want to provide a platform for a night of sharing, creativity and inspiration."
The LightNight team are inviting everyone to follow the hashtag #LightNightatHome on social media. On the night, there will be various activities to take part in including a collaborative artwork creation by local artist Laura-Kate Chapman - originally commissioned to create a special installation at the Museum of Liverpool. Instead, she is inviting people of all ages to participate in making and sharing a 3D house or poster exploring what home means to them.
To take part visit the website and download the activity sheet.
More about Open Culture…
Established ahead of Liverpool’s year as European Capital of Culture in 2008, Open Culture aims to nurture and support the arts through a variety of projects, platforms and events, inspiring people to create culture and developing their knowledge of and access to cultural events and activities.
Now, as it approaches over a decade of work in the city and beyond, Open Culture acts independently showcasing, celebrating and bringing arts and culture to as wide an audience as possible.
Open Culture also works to build partnerships and collaborations that maximise the cultural offer in the city region. Projects other than LightNight include Tickle the Ivories, a street piano busking festival in Liverpool ONE, the Summer and Winter Arts Markets at Liverpool Cathedral and their newest project Uncoverliverpool.com. This new, free arts listing website offers a simpler and engaging what’s on guide to the city, where residents and visitors alike can browse arts listings quickly and easily. Users can also find recent news from the local arts scene including arts jobs and artist opportunities.
