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Illuminating York was the festival of lights, sonic and ambience that inspired the city over the past week. I was one of the many that had the luck to attend this special event that showed the city off in, quite literally, a new light. Since I am new not only to the City of York, but to the country, I was very impressed by the budget of the productions and the artistic design behind them. This festival gave me the chance to explore around the city, walking down side streets in the twilight, along the lit shambles and highlighted York Minster, to the train station and the Castle Museum. Locals bustled about admiring things that they forgot existed in the hurry of their daily lives, such as the precision demonstrated by the glass makers, the majesty of the trains and the beauty of the buildings.
Nothing can demonstrate the appeal of being in a new city and witnessing such an array of spectacles that could destroy a building and build it up again in a matter of seconds. I’m talking, of course, of the Envisions event at the Castle Museum. However, I must confess that this was a completely different side of York than I was used to seeing. The class, the culture and the beauty are more than a contrast to the Micklegate Run that I, as a fresher, had become accustomed to. York did not disappoint, and proceeded to remind its viewers that amongst its culture and ancient history, it is still at heart a city that knows how to live, by introducing some processed beats to that ensemble showing.
A further surprise was the National Railway Museum. I went in without expectations. They were having a light show, where nothing happened. The lights were fixed on certain points upon the trains and the music resounded with an atmospheric reverberation about the dark hall. I spent my time wondering when something would happen; waiting for the climax when, in fact, that finale event was one of Illuminating York’s climaxes. But it was a fantastic suspense builder for Halloween, when York really unleashed itself.
All in all, the event allowed the visitors to witness the world around them as they never would have before. Isn’t that what art is all about? So this unique experience would be difficult to classify as anything short of beautiful and cultured, for all ages.
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