Bruges on the pulse for Leicester

Leicester City Council has appointed lighting designer Jason Bruges to create a one and a half mile interactive processional route, linking the city’s cultural quarter, which is currently being developed, and the £14.7m community organisation Peepul Centre.

The project, entitled Art on the move, comprises the final phase of Leicester’s five-year long Cultural Mapping Programme, which was funded by the Arts Council England Lottery.

Bruges will develop a series of permanent interactive light installations within the built environment to create a cityscape that reacts to street life, such as the movement of traffic and pedestrians. This may include a raft of digital paintings embedded in pavements and lamps. Bruges is currently in talks with manufacturer Urbis about the development of a range of light products – fitted with interactive technology – to be used for the project.

‘This will create digital memories of what happens along the route, leaving a legacy,’ he says.

The aim is to encourage movement across the city and celebrate the cultural diversity of Leicester. The route can also be used for a variety of national festivals, such as Diwali.

The lighting strategy could potentially be rolled out across Leicester. The first phase will be completed this summer.