Guerrilla Lighting injects life into a forgotten part of Southwark

Guerrilla Lighting returned to the capital as part of this year’s London Festival of Architecture, this time targeting Southwark with an aim to uncover ‘hidden’ corners across the borough.

The concept of Guerrilla Lighting originated with Martin Lupton in 2007. Although the idea itself has existed for a number of years, Lupton’s aim was to take lighting installations out of the hands of a small group of specialists and target events at non-lighting professionals. For this reason, he uses rechargeable battery-powered torches and coloured gels rather than professional lighting equipment.

Guerrilla Lighting events are intended to increase public awareness of lighting design as a profession, through active participation in these ‘transient urban intervention’ that have a very immediate visual effect.

Successful events throughout the UK in 2008 and 2009, as well as further events held internationally, have led to this latest effort in Southwark, chosen because of its extensive regeneration embedded within a rich architectural history. Guerrilla Lighting Southward was initiated by Sharon Stammers at the PDLA to connect the various sites not just by proximity, but by the narratives that occur in and around them.

This was emphasized by a consistent visual motif of white, pink and blue light, visible at each site including the skate park at White’s Grounds, a former industrial complex called the Tanneries, the Hop Exchange, and Little Dorrit gardens.

“The reactions of passersby showed that these places go unnoticed by the majority of people,” said Sharon Stammers. “Southwark is filled with hidden gems, and temporarily revealing them in light has brought them firmly in to public view.”

Jeremy Gill of Southwark Council added: “The night was fantastic, exploring the nocturnal side of the London Bridge area. Eljay’s energy at the skate park, the beautifully lit Hop Exchange and the stillness of Little Dorrit Gardens brilliantly showcased the diversity of this part of Southwark.”

The event was initiated by PLDA, sponsored by Holophane Europe, Urbis and Fagerhult and supported by Southwark Council, Better Bankside, Team London Bridge and the ILE.

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