Artseen - Bringing the Light Fantastic - 2020

Emerging from a pre-pandemic vision to revitalize Bath's enduring lantern tradition, 'Bringing the Light Fantastic' ingeniously navigated the complexities of lockdown to foster community and connection. Responding to the constraints of social distancing, Creative Director Maya Wolf reimagined the conventional procession.

Three striking, large-scale lanterns – Spirit of Coyote, Anansi the Spider, and a Selkie of ethereal grace – were commissioned and mounted upon rickshaws, transforming the city streets into a mobile gallery of illuminated narratives. These ambulatory artworks, accompanied by music, traced fluid routes, offering spontaneous encounters with wonder.

Undeterred by limitations on gatherings, the project embraced distributed creativity through thoughtfully designed take-home lantern kits. These self-contained packages empowered individuals and schools to participate remotely, ensuring the spirit of collective creation remained unbroken.

Anchoring the theme of 'Communication & Connection,' a luminous installation – of heart, pyramid and star graced a city shopfront, tying together the large commissioned and small community built lantern, creating a beacon of unity in a time of separation. On the event night, amidst eased restrictions, the illuminated rickshaws moved through the city, a spectacle witnessed by those who ventured out, including individuals proudly displaying their own handcrafted lanterns, thus weaving a thread of shared experience through the urban landscape.