Thousands flocked to Durham recently to catch a glimpse of the 29 light displays as part of the Lumiere light festival.
The lumiere is a free biannual event that brings masses of tourists to Durham for three nights only.
This year, it took place from 16th to 19th November.
For crowd control reasons, free tickets were available to order online and pick up at the Gala Theatre in the city and ticket holders could visit between 4:30pm, when the event began, to 7:30pm. After this time, all other visitors could attend. Every event brings together some of the most talented light artists from around the world and gives them the chance to show off their amazing light displays.
Cllr Simon Henig, Leader of Durham County Council said: "Every edition of the Lumiere is so varied and one of the really wonderful things is that everyone's favourite art works are different. Thanks to the conferences this year, we have also hosted guests from as far apart as Canada, Switzerland, Senegal and Russia. This is without doubt the most international Lumiere which has taken place here."
This year brought family run light business, Luminarie De Cagna all the way from Italy. The team lit up Market Place with a structure called Dome and Arches which is a carousel-like structure made of LED lights.
Drawn In Light is a moving light display that was hanging over the Elvet Bridge. This was brought to the city by Ralf Westernhof, a light artist from The Netherlands. He created a steel display that rotates around, giving the effect that the little steel world was coming to life.
A lot of thought and technical elements had to be put in to some of the art, especially in science inspired light projection, Sagacity. At first glanced it seemed just like the periodic table. However, there was so much more to this piece and it was in fact very interactive. The public could use the Twitter hashtag #durhamlumiere and depending on which emotions they tweeted about, the colours would illuminate.
The Umbrella Project was more of a moving spectacle. This was a group of illuminated umbrellas in various different colours, held by members of the Durham community. There was no set time or place that the umbrellas could be seen and the public were lucky to catch a glimpse of them wherever they popped up.
Events like the Lumiere bring a lot of hustle and bustle to the small streets of Durham. However, to some small businesses who stay open to cater for the thousands of visitors, it is a blessing in disguise.
"It's not just about the art, Lumiere provides a tremendous economic boost at a time of year when traditionally the visitor economy is quieter. I estimate that the £21million in economic benefits delivered by the first four festivals will rise significantly once we evaluate the 2017 edition," added Cllr Simon Henig.
Another crowd pleaser on the night was What Matters- a glass bubble style display.
The event is organised by Artichoke, a charity who work together with artists to put on huge light displays around the world. They also put together the Lumiere festival that happens in London once every two years.
Artichoke CEO, Helen Marriage said: "Artichoke is so proud to have commissioned What Matters, a wonderful explosion of glass and colour, imagined and designed by two exceptional artists Shuster and Moseley. It was made with the help of many, including Durham University, students at Sunderland University and the National Glass Centre. The piece demonstrates Lumiere at its best- inspired, collaborative, daring and ambitious. It's a work that really does delight, surprise and stop people in their tracks."
Each Lumiere event also gives local talented artists the chance to show case their work for the public. The Brilliant award is a competition that allows anybody to enter an idea for a light display and five lucky people are picked to have their idea brought to life.
Alison Lowery, also known as Miss Fusion was a Brilliant winner back in 2015 with her idea of creating a colour prism, known as Rainbow River. She said: "I was amazed and delighted to win the Brilliant award in 2015. It was quite a tough learning experience but we worked with good lighting people, suppliers and light experts. I believe that Lumiere is incredibly beneficial for Durham and the North East and Artichoke have become more organised in crowd management over the years. I hope it continues in the future."
If plans go ahead, the next Lumiere will take place in 2019.
Click below for a timeline for highlights of the previous Lumiere light festivals in Durham.
