What has been hailed as the ‘antidote to traditional Christmas lights’ has arrived at Chiswick House in the form of the contemporarily-oriented ‘After Dark’ light festival. It presents various visual delights for any party to go and see, providing some respite from the obscurity of the British Winter nights. The event began on 15th November and will continue to illuminate the sky every Thursday to Saturday until 30th December.
The night walk meanders through a diverse array of light displays illuminating and transforming Chiswick House and its broad gardens. The house itself is dimly lit while strong, powerful beams of light are shone at different intensities in order to correlate with the soothing soundtrack in the background. The result is a very calming experience that transforms the house, making it seemingly dance around to the music. The trail then progresses down to the lake, where powerful lasers add colour to the experience, shining powerfully through the mist.
Further along the night walk, a giant sphere is lit emphatically, appearing like a moon. The intricacies in the different shades on its surface contribute to its exceedingly realistic appearance. The result is quite intimidating given that it looms so near to the ground. As the trail circles back on itself, there is a display of columns, arranged in a circle, with each column displaying a purple hew of light that oscillates up and down in harmony. The exhibit is very abstract and open to interpretation.
However, the only disappointment was the relatively low number of substantial exhibits. Despite the captivating and enthralling nature of the displays, the trail leaves with a burning desire for more, which is a shame given their overall quality.
