ast week, York City Centre saw the return of Illuminating York, an annual event which sees a variety of light shows take over the city’s landmarks. This year the Minster’s south entrance was the main attraction. With a show de- signed by Ross Ashton and Karen Monid, crowds gathered trans- fixed throughout the evening. With a mixture of Medieval bib- lical characters being projected along with Latin text, and flowers climbing the walls, there was something for everyone to appre- ciate. This show was accompanied by a soundtrack of speech and choral music which gave the show a haunting effect.
Within Dean’s Park, or the Minster Gardens, was a selection of related events. There was ‘Light
Weight’, which was a huge white sphere which had projected images of figures walking across it. This was a beautiful object to view in the dark- ness, as it had such a dream like state around it. Dean’s Park also housed two indoor events, which took place within caravans or tents, with performance events to small audiences.
The final show was a repeat from last year’s – ‘Tagtool’. This interactive show proved so successful that this year it was put on again, this time at the Treasurer’s House, situated on the cob- bled street behind the park. ‘Tagtool’ allows members of the public to draw designs on a tablet, which then becomes part of the show projected up on to the building. You see a mixture of children’s scribbles and adult doodles appearing on the side of the building, and its constantly changing format means you never see the same show twice.
I went to see this show on Wednesday with my housemates as well as a parent and all of us left the show with a smile on our face. Illuminating York definitely has something for everyone, and if you missed it this year, keep your eyes peeled for the show next year!