Twist & Shine is a beautiful landscape of interactive light sculptures. They are made out of interconnected prisms that can be twisted into thousands of different shapes.  

Every time someone changes the sculpture, they inherit their starting point from the people before them. By transforming the shape, they change the landscape and add to the sculpture’s story. 

Members of the public can work together, or witness others playing. 

Credits: Twist & Shine is commissioned by RHS Bridgewater for Glow 2023, and in 2025 by Lux Helsinki. It is a development of Let’s Twist, a commission by Rotherham, Children’s Capital of Culture.

About the Artist: Kaleider

From Sydney Opera House to London’s West End, from a mountain top to a vast beach, from Brooklyn to Osaka, Kaleider is an internationally acclaimed art studio. We make light art, performance, interactive artworks, and games, which we present all around the world. Kaleider Studios is based in Exeter, UK.

Location: The Shed, WX Wakefield Exchange, Union Street, Wakefield, WF1 3AD

Journey through geological time and discover the hidden world beneath our city. Step into a dynamic floor projection that reveals the changing textures and glowing pathways of the subsurface, tracing the movement of heat and water through ancient rock formations.  

As the geological layers shift across space and time, they reveal how natural interactions between rock, water, heat and a new shallow geothermal network could warm and cool homes and public buildings across West Yorkshire. The evolving visuals are accompanied by sonic interpretations of seismic data, subtle underground vibrations and musical harmonies to create an immersive audiovisual experience evoking the rhythms of the Earth’s interior.

Credits: This installation was produced by the Cultural Institute, University of Leeds. Funded by the University of Leeds Climate Plan through Sustainability Services Living Lab Programme. This event is part of the ESRC Festival of Social Science 2025 and was made possible thanks to funding from the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), which is part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI). Part of ‘Stories from the Subsurface’ and ‘Geothermal Campus and City’ projects, funded by Geosolutions Leeds. 

About the Artists

Dr Lynn Wray recently joined Geosolutions Leeds as part of the ‘Stories from the Subsurface’ project. She is a practice-based researcher and creative practitioner focused on exploring how collaborative creative methods can be used to understand better and tell stories about complex phenomena, ranging from technological and political processes to environmental and social justice issues.

Urban Projections is the work and collaborations of artist Rebecca Smith. Her practice explores how immersive technologies can shape how we relate to each other and the spaces around us. Her work is built to be experienced together – site-responsive environments shaped by shared experiences.

Location:The Canopy, WX Wakefield Exchange, Union Street, Wakefield, WF1 3AD

12 Giant gifts have been sent to Wakefield! In this larger than life retelling of the traditional Christmas Carol, a huge circle of presents reveal their cargo. Like a gigantic spinning zoetrope, partridge, geese, swans, gold rings and drummers appear in turn, oversized characters that tumble from one gift to the next, unable to be contained in their giant boxes.

In the circle of Wakefield’s Bull Ring, come and discover the 12 Giant Days in this bigger than ever projection installation from Illuminos.

About the Artist: Illuminos

Illuminos’ work is a fusion of the digital with the public realm, leading collaborative projects that seek to directly engage the public in unique events. Projects range from huge spectacle to small scale film, but always working to create something memorable and specific to its location and community.

Location: The Bull Ring, Wakefield, WF1 1HA

Continuum’ is a fun, captivating installation that invites visitors to walk between mirrored monoliths, exploring a maze of reflection and light. This interactive piece will capture the imagination of all ages as they walk around, through and amongst the mirrored pillars.

About the Artist: illumaphonium

illumaphonium is a duo of artists based in the South West that specialise in large scale interactive installations transforming public spaces into a place for music and discovery.

Location: Cathedral Steps, Wakefield WF1 1HG

Rewild is a magical, illuminated projection-mapped animation that invites audiences to become part of the artwork. Playful gestures trigger swarms of butterflies and insects, sparking further growth and transformation across the scene. 

Individuals and small groups see themselves projected in real time onto the building, alongside an evolving landscape populated by keystone species such as lynx and bison. 

The experience encourages positive human action and a more harmonious relationship with nature, opening conversations about how we can restore, rebalance and regenerate our natural ecosystems and imagine a future where humans and nature can thrive together. 

About the Artist: Limbic Cinema

Limbic Cinema create light sculptures and video art works for installation, interaction and performance. Their work is exhibited in a wide range of environments, including science museums, theatres and music festivals, sometimes for just one night, and sometimes on permanent display. They believe that people can be enriched through engagement with the arts, and endeavour to create beautiful and meaningful pieces which can inspire and move audiences.

Location: County Hall, Bond Street, Wakefield, WF1 2QW

Coinciding with Wakefield’s 2026 Light Up weekend, Japanese-born, Sheffield artist Seiko Kinoshita will prototype Distant: Shared Memories of Home, an experimental installation that merges hand-crafted sculpture forms with cutting-edge technology.

Using folded paper, textiles, mixed reality, and spatial audio, the project creates an atmospheric dreamscape where audiences can move through light, sound, shadow, and texture.

The exhibition is rooted in the lived experiences of immigrants, refugees, and people seeking asylum, reflecting feelings of distance, longing, and memory. Trauma-informed workshops over Autumn 2026 with local Wakefield communities will generate spoken memories, ambient soundscapes, and emotional reflections, which will be woven into the installation’s sonic and visual environment.

About the Artist: Seiko Kinoshita

Seiko Kinoshita is a Japanese Sheffield based artist whose practice combines traditional Asian craft processes with contemporary technologies, creating immersive installations exploring memory, identity and place With extensive experience of working collaboratively with communities, her approach conbines artistic ambition with inclusive and participatory methods.

Location: The Art House, Drury Ln, Wakefield, WF1 2TE