Robert Montgomery’s art sculptures, the latest exhibition in the Lobby of One Canada Square, provide a prelude to the light festival outside as the gardens and squares in and around the tall corporate office blocks at Canary Wharf came alive over the last two weeks with Amanda Parer’s huge white rabbits in Jubilee Park, Amberlights’ giant disco-ball at Wren Landing, Kasjo Studio’s reflected and transparent walls of coloured light in Columbus Courtyard, Venividimultiplex & Fosfor Design’s pulsating giant halo reflected in the pool of Cabot Square, Eness’ light and sound bubble at Jubilee Plaza, which responded to touch, Ottototto’s white cubes reflected in water at Cubitt Steps, and Collectif Coin’s towers of a light, rising and falling as music played across Montgomery Square.  These were just a few of the light sculptures and installations across Canary Wharf which intrepid travellers, maps in hand, were exploring as they came across squares and parks they had never been before.  

Adding to permanent illuminated art installations such as the changing coloured lighting of Adams Bridge, Bill Culbert’s twisting twirling ribbons of light at Churchill Place, LBO Lichtbank’s floating illuminated lightbenches in Columbus Courtyard, Martin Richman’s colourful reeds growing out of the water in Crossrail Place and Julius Popp’s waterfall which projects the news-feed from the Times, this festival shows how modern lighting sculptures and installations can imaginatively respond to the architecture, the water and the landscape, and engage with the public in interactive installations such Tine Bech’s digital playground in Jubilee Place and a whole series of installations in Crossrail Place. 

An excellent series of artworks – I’m looking forward to next year.