Live Design Online: In 1879, a year before Edison patented the light bulb, an English seaside town was attracting out-of-season tourists by lighting up its promenade with carbon arc lamps, in what a brochure at the time proudly proclaimed to be “artificial sunshine.” Those illuminations, much expanded, have kept Blackpool on the map ever since, despite changes in British vacation trends and it became an established annual feature in 1929.
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I had never heard of Blackpool or its associated lighting festival, and while I’ve heard lots about the Tesla & Edison lightbulb situation, I had never heard about the “artificial sunshine” lamps in Blackpool. I’m honestly pretty shocked by this, since this seems like such an impressively large-scale lighting thing, and it’s so relevant to our industry, especially since it’s a creative usage of the materials in odd conditions (like how the article talked about wind and salt affecting the lighting). Six miles of lighting is really crazy, and it’s very impressive that this has continued on for so long. Something in the article that really stuck out to me was the discussion of reducing electricity usage. I imagine that the sheer scale of the festival has only been growing, making it even more impressive that the group has managed to reduce its energy consumption so significantly. It is definitely inspiring to see that it is very much possible to continue doing impressive creative things while staying environmentally cautious.
This is my first time hearing about Blackpool, and I’m already invested. I read the world internship, and my ears perked up. I love this kind of entertainment, something you can experience all around you as a part of your world. I love that this started before the light bulb was invented, that’s such a flex -yes, our annual lighting event started before we had light bulbs- that’s so cool. I love that so many employers and fellow members of the workforce are starting to acknowledge the way that new generations require a larger skillset to be considered for positions. A lot of what I hope to gain from my college education is not only knowledge of one topic, but the ability to dabble in anything. I love that we are starting to more universally acknowledge that while you don’t necessarily have to be a jack of all trades, it’s incredibly beneficial to know every step of the process thoroughly, and use that knowledge to work more collaboratively. Blackpool is definitely about to show up a lot in my search history.
First time I have seen Blackpool mentioned in anything entertainment related! I visited Blackpool while I was in Europe 2 summers ago because my sibling and Dad had heard it mentioned in a song. It was an odd reason to go to an even odder place. I remember we spent around 2 hours there and then left because there was essentially no one there. It seemed to have been abandoned except for the few workers who lined the boardwalk, so it is super surprising to see that it has an annual light festival. I love the variety this light show seems to have: from strings of lights that outline these statues to boards that flash different images. Separate even from lights, this Illumination seems to be a place for wacky artists to come and just create. I am specifically thinking of the two dog heads painted onto women's bodies. In this instance, the only presence of light seems to be a border around the outside of each painting.
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