We Are Medway Lantern Parade
Friday 11 February 2022
Xtina Lamb from INTRA Arts and Chris Reed from Big Fish Arts designed and created lanterns themed around ‘Home, Belonging, Love and Respect’ with the help pupils from 17 schools across Medway.
The parade moved through a crowded Rochester High Street and finished at Rochester Castle.
A big thank you to the brass, samba and fusion bands who were part of the parade: Bloco Fogo, 4×4 Kings of Dohl, Uzambezi Arts, Band Baja UK.
After the parade the lanterns were installed at the War Memorial Gardens for Saturday visitors to take a closer look.
We Are Medway video installation
Friday 11 & Saturday 12 February 2022
Josh Garner from Cybersaur Arts has created a film giving a voice to local people to say what Medway means to you and what is great about living here.
A BIG thank you to everyone who took part in the filming.
We Are Medway was projected against the outside wall of The Candy Bar at the War Memorial Garden on Rochester High Street from 6pm to 9pm across both days of Medway Light Nights.
Thank you
To over the 60,000 people who attended Medway Light Nights, the whole Medway Light Nights team would like extend our thanks.
We’d also like to thank our Make Waves cohort who were part of both nights of the festival, all the artists and creatives who assisted Xtina Lamb and Chris Reed with the lantern parade.
A thank you to all the schools from across Medway who took part.
Special thanks to Producer, Ashleigh Burr – working on Medway Light Nights as part of Creative Estuary‘s Estuary Emerging Producer Placements programme.
You can read Ashleigh’s blog about the filming of We Are Medway here: Medway Light Nights – Guest Blog
Also at Medway Light Nights…
While We Are Medway was our contribution, Medway Light Nights also included some other spectacular light shows, performances, artworks and displays including;
- If Not Now by Icon Theatre
- A mass movement spectacular featuring a volunteer cast of performers alongside Icon Theatre’s professional cast and creative team, that explored contemporary opportunities for profound social change.
- CROSSROADS by Lucid Creates
- Using optical illusions created by light, sound and mirrors to transported the public to a place where good things have happened and the future we want exists now.
- The Hourglass by Emergency Exit Arts
- Conceived and produced by Illuminos for EEA, this piece was a 4-metre-high sculpture, using projection mapping and sound to tell immersive impactful stories.
There were also artworks from 51 Zero, Dream Safari, Mona Whitton, University of Kent and Fabric Lenny and many more over the two-day festival.
About Medway Light Nights
Medway Light Nights is produced by Emergency Exit Arts in partnership with Medway Council, and has been sponsored by Arts Council England, The Welcome Back Fund, Leigh Academy Trust, and Kent University.