Visitors invited to step into The Light

A new County Durham cultural venue is preparing to open its doors with a packed weekend of live music, circus performances, exhibitions and family activities.

The Light, at Aykley Heads in Durham City, will officially open on Saturday, August 22, launching a programme designed to establish the new Durham County Council venue as a destination for culture, creativity and community.

Opening celebrations will continue throughout the weekend and into the final weeks of the school summer holidays, providing a preview of a wider autumn and winter programme set to be announced next month.

The activities have been inspired by The Light’s inaugural exhibitions, We Are The Durhams: The Durham Light Infantry Exhibition and Victory Over the Sun: Encounters with Light.

Visitors on the opening Saturday will be able to explore the exhibitions before heading outside for performances from Pittington Brass Band.

The Cequin Circus will also bring stilt walkers and disco-ball-headed dancers to the grounds, culminating in a choreographed fire-spinning performance.

Sunday’s programme will feature North East singer-songwriters Steve Pledger, Ani Sandwith, Sam Slatcher and Hels Pattison, alongside further performances from The Cequin Circus.

Families will also be able to take part in science-inspired lawn games and free drop-in creative activities.

Inside, visitors can make lanterns that will become part of a growing illuminated sculpture, while a fluorescent creative playground will allow people to add drawings and messages to an evolving light installation.

The celebrations will then continue with artist-led workshops throughout the following week, including:

• Gelli printing with Nick Christie, using stencils and natural materials, on August 24.
• Watercolours with Suzanne Williams, exploring abstract painting, on August 25.
• Sunlight Guardians with Stephanie Archer, combining reflective materials, storytelling, art and science, on August 26.
• Marvellous mosaics with Susan Warlock, creating colourful tiles from tumbled glass, on August 27.
• Cyanotype Printing with Botanicals, exploring an early photographic process using plants and other natural materials, on August 28. 

The sessions are aimed at children aged eight and over and will run twice daily, costing £8 per child with an accompanying adult admitted free.

Free lawn games will continue each day, while further drop-in sessions include a Galaxy Pinwheels workshop with Jenny McNamara on August 29 and glow-in-the-dark Drawing Sculptures with Zara Worth on August 31.

At the heart of The Light’s opening programme are its two exhibitions.

Victory Over the Sun: Encounters with Light, running until January 17, 2027, brings together work by internationally recognised artists including Tracey Emin, Dan Flavin, Olafur Eliasson and Chila Burman.

Exploring light as both an artistic subject and material, the exhibition examines themes spanning perception, nature and the cosmos.

Meanwhile, permanent exhibition We Are The Durhams builds on the venue’s military heritage to tell the story of the Durham Light Infantry through images, sounds, hands-on activities and sensory experiences, with a focus on identity, belonging and community.

Alongside its galleries, The Light includes spaces for talks, workshops and live events, as well as meeting and private hire facilities and a café with an outdoor terrace overlooking the grounds.

Councillor Karen Allison, Durham County Council’s cabinet member for leisure, tourism, regeneration and high street, said: “It’s not every day you get to launch a venue as special as The Light, which is why we are pulling out all the stops to deliver an unforgettable opening weekend.

“As the former home of the Durham Light Infantry (DLI) Museum and Durham Art Gallery, we know people will be excited to see how the building has been transformed. 

“We are also looking forward to welcoming visitors to our inaugural exhibitions and showcasing how the building’s past, and its future as a centre for art, innovation, and history, have shaped the amazing cultural programme we will deliver this year.

“The Light represents a significant investment in culture. 

“Not only will it entertain and inspire our communities, it will help to raise aspirations among young people and attract more visitors into the county, boosting our £1.5 billion tourism economy.”

Entry to The Light and We Are The Durhams is free, while advance tickets for Victory Over the Sun cost £10 for adults and £2.50 for under-18s. A £25 season pass will provide unlimited entry to the exhibition.

Parking at The Light during its opening weekend will be restricted to Blue Badge holders, with free event parking available at County Hall and a signposted pedestrian route connecting the two sites.

Details of The Light’s autumn/winter programme will be announced soon. 

For more information and to book tickets for the summer holiday workshops and Victory Over the Sun, visit www.thelightdurham.org.uk.

To stay up to date with the latest news and events, follow @thelightdurham on Facebook and Instagram.

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