about LUP

Light Up Poole explores and reflects through light art Poole’s heritage and natural and built environments – enhancing its identity, reinforcing its distinctiveness and binding diverse communities. Our 2020 Festival for February half term builds on two years of success adding new artists, the introduction of ticketed experiences, festival merchandise, teaser events, and an enhanced STEM-led creative learning programme working with schools, the local college and universities, businesses and community groups.

Award-wining artists Karen Monid and Ross Ashton have programmed a daytime talks programme to encourage the public to explore the arts:science:technology crossover from new angles inviting astronauts from European Space Agency, art and cultural historian Dr Janina Ramirez and award-winning Lighting Designer Michael Grubb.

Poole has taken the festival to its heart, recognising its international quality, entertainment value and accessibility – light art has no boundaries to access and appeals to all ages. Light Up Poole is a cultural celebration, and plays an important role in civic pride, tourism and the night-time economy.

Inspired by the theme ‘Spectrum’, artists will respond to difference exploring disability, social exclusion, age, faith and more … and use Poole’s unique backdrops to present the reflective qualities of light and the physics of colour, wavelengths and frequencies. As night falls, artists and communities will celebrate Poole’s diverse landscape with co-produced light and sound installations illuminating the historic old town, urban high street, and waterfront.

One of our goals for 2020 is to expose how collaborative the creative process is and encourage audiences to engage more deeply with public art and think differently about the effect on its location and the world we live in.

The festival is produced by Audacious, an artist-led community interest company dedicated to creating high quality opportunities for the public to engage with light as a creative, interactive medium and to explore art, technology and innovation in interesting spaces.