enLIGHTen: 1st March - 18th March
2012
enLIGHTen was an exciting new project by Edinburgh City of Literature Trust, working with partners, that brought the streets of Edinburgh to life in March 2012, thanks to Year of Creative Scotland funding and the hard work of many committed partners.
What is it?
enLIGHTen fused words and cutting edge technology to light up the night sky during March.
Massive projections of famous quotes from the Scottish Enlightenment period illuminated buildings along George Street and Rose Street to spectacular effect. enLIGHTen also included specially commissioned animations and audio, to create a stunning, multi-sensory experience for locals and tourists alike.
Celebrating the literary and built heritage of locations including Charlotte Square and the Melville Monument in the city’s Poetry Garden, enLIGHTen responded to the wisdom of great Enlightenment thinkers through new fiction and poetry by Gavin Inglis, William Letford, Kirsty Logan, Ken MacLeod, James Robertson and JL Williams, specially commissioned by Edinburgh UNESCO City of Literature Trust.
(g)Host City, specialists in innovative, virtual and augmented reality performance, worked with the writers to enhance the pieces, creating a downloadable aural experience which complemented the stunning visual impact of the projections. This was supplemented with free audio downloads for each location about the built and literary heritage.
enLIGHTen featured dynamic projection mapping for cultural purposes - a first for Scotland. The City of Literature Trust coordinated this inspired project, working in partnership with Essential Edinburgh, Marketing Edinburgh, Edinburgh World Heritage, Northern Light, Pufferfish and JUMP Marketing to create a very memorable March.
Lights, Literature, Action!
This isn't the first time that our City of Literature used the backdrop of our capital to put a spotlight on our literary heritage. enLIGHTen built upon a successful series of projections round the city as part of the Carry a Poem reading campaign in February 2010, images that stopped passers-by in their tracks and were published around the world.
We projected a line from Douglas Dunn's poem 'Disenchantments' onto Edinburgh's Castle Rock: 'Look to the living, love them, and hold on' became an iconic image shared widely, delivering a beautiful message for a chilly Valentine's eve.
Creative Scotland 2012
Our Director, Ali Bowden said:
"We’re thrilled to have Creative Scotland’s support for this ambitious new partnership project. enLIGHTen will match the architectural brilliance of this historic city with our world re-known literature, and provide an arresting experience for passersby, both locals and visitors – as well as a focal point for those planning a trip to Edinburgh."
"I just loved it – just another of those things that makes me oh so proud to live in this city." - tweet
In Partnership
This unique project was in collaboration with EventScotland, Essential Edinburgh, Marketing Edinburgh, Edinburgh World Heritage, City of Edinburgh Council, (g)Host City, NL Productions, Pufferfish and JUMP.
Find out more
Visit our enLIGHTen project site to relive enLIGHTen through photos, videos and sound.