Christmas at Bute Park works with home grown creatives through Ignite Cymru scheme

Wales’ flagship festive lights trail has furthered its commitment to working with home-grown creatives through the Ignite Cymru initiative with two installations designed by three emerging Welsh artists Eliot Lewis, Louis Smith and Natalie Roe.

Christmas at Bute Park takes visitors on a breath-taking tour of festive delight around one of the capital city’s most beloved landmarks. Visitors are in for a seasonal light spectacular as part of the award-winning event this winter, with a re-imagined route of all new installations created by a selection of world-class artists and designers.

With more than 100,000 tickets sold in 2023, Christmas at Bute Park will be returning to Cardiff city centre from November 22nd through to December 31st 2024, bringing more than five weeks of festive magic with it.

Ignite Cymru is a project run by Christmas at Bute Park with support from Welsh Government to help develop skills among local creatives. The team behind the trail has provided opportunities for creatives to get involved with the 2024 event, through its work with schools, visual artists, young people and undergraduates based at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama (RWCMD).

As a result, visitors will wander this year’s trail to surround-sound audio created by local young composers and marvel at installations created by locally-based visual designers and community groups.

This year, one of the first installations that will greet visitors on the trail is a spectacular array of dazzling and glowing crystal pipes, designed by emerging artist Louis Smith and accompanied by music created by composer and sound designer Natalie Roe through the Ignite Cymru Scheme.

Natalie will also be working closely with the National Open Youth Orchestra to collaborate with the youth ensemble of South Wales to record young musicians’ original music. The audio will also incorporate text in Welsh language sourced via interviews with the local community of their favourite parts of the festive season.

Natalie said: “We are so excited to be part of Christmas at Bute Park! Our work combines our love for sculpture and music with community engagement. Our sculpture titled ‘Crisial’ is inspired by colourful crystal geodes which will illuminate through interaction with the music. Through working with the excellent Cardiff Branch of the National Open Youth Orchestra, we have captured sounds which we will use to compose the original music. We cannot wait to share our installation and to see the community engage with our work!”

There will also be a piece from graduate artist Elliot Lewis, from Cardiff, who has designed an installation that will see 12 infinity mirror light displays placed along the path, each creating the illusion of infinite lights. The infinity mirrors will feature light sources progressing through the evolution of the light.

Elliot says: “The main inspiration for this piece came from learning that the majority of those visiting the light trail are intergenerational families. Contemplating the lights of the festive season, especially those of my own childhood, I was struck at how drastically the aesthetic of lights has changed throughout the decades. How the emotional glow of festive lighting to one viewer may be a soft warm hue, whilst to another it may be in the various flashing sequences of colourful fairy lights.

“My hope is that each fragment will recreate an element of each of these feelings, allowing the viewer to experience the impact of each light source. For younger viewers the chance to be teleported back to festive periods of the past and for older viewers, it offers a progression of how lighting has evolved, reflecting their past festive experiences.”

As well as the Ignite Cymru opportunities, more than 50 young people will also be involved in the creation of metal stars that will be covered and illuminated from inside through Pontypridd charity Citrus Arts, an inventive performance company who combine circus, dance and drama with their love of the outdoors.

The stars have been made by ‘Art Workers’, paid trainees from South Wales learning the hands-on skills for the events and outdoor arts sector and have been trained in basic metalworking skills by the female led WTF (Women Teaching Fabrication) workshops from Bristol.

Roxy Robinson, Creative Director at From The Fields, which produces the trail, said: “We are absolutely delighted to be offering visitors an all-new array of world-class light installations as part of a re-imagined route around one of the city’s most beloved landmarks. As we bring Christmas at Bute Park back to the heart of the Welsh capital this winter, it’s more important to us than ever that we pay homage to the local artistry and talent available in the local community.

“It’s fantastic to be able to showcase the best in home-grown creativity and honing wonderful new talent so that we can deliver a unique festive light trail offering the best composition, installation art and lighting design expertise that Wales has to offer as a result. These installations are set to be beautiful, and we can’t wait for you to see them this Christmas.”

Jack Sargeant, Minister for Culture, Skills and Social Partnership, said: “Christmas at Bute Park is now a firm fixture in the festive calendar – an unforgettable immersive experience that makes the most of our capital city’s striking landscapes and landmarks.

“What people may not know is that the event also provides an invaluable opportunity for young, Welsh and emerging creatives to gain exhibition experience. It also offers creative work experience opportunities for young people not in education or employment. That is why I’m proud we’re supporting the event for the third year running, through Event Wales.”