Introducing Lumiere Durham 2019 BRILLIANT competition winners
Since 2011, our BRILLIANT competition has fostered created talent in the North East, providing a platform for emerging artists and non-artists to embrace their creativity. We have commissioned 17 new artworks as part of BRILLIANT, including Sarah Blood鈥檚 illuminated bird boxes,聽Sanctuary聽(2013), Victoria MacLeod鈥檚 giant knitting needles,聽Big Knitting聽(2015) and Aidan Moesby鈥檚 interactive installation,聽Sagacity: Periodic Table of Emotions聽(2017).
Previous participants in the BRILLIANT competition, some of whom had never practiced as an artist before, have since had the opportunity to exhibit at later聽Lumiere聽festivals in both Durham and London, as well as at other light festivals across the world, such as 2013 winner Stu Langley, who has since toured his installation聽Stained Glass Cars聽(2013)聽to several locations as far afield as Singapore.
Meet our 2019 BRILLIANT winners
Diane Watson
Diane is an environmental artist on a mission to combat plastic pollution by turning it into art. On her walks along the beach each day, Diane has collected thousands of plastic toys, bottles and other discarded items washed up onto the North East coast which she uses to create her kaleidoscopic sculptures. She has an MA in Ceramics and more than 20 years teaching experience in arts education and community projects. Her work has been featured in several exhibitions including聽Thought Foundation,聽Festival of Thrift聽and Navigator North鈥檚聽Latest Edition聽project.
Mike Donaghy聽
Mike is an employee of Durham County Council. His BRILLIANT idea is inspired by a trip to Akureyri in Iceland and the unusual traffic lights he saw there. He hopes his artwork, a playful modification of daily life in Durham city, will also leave a lasting impression on passers-by.
Penelope Payne聽
Penny聽is based in Whitley Bay and works in a studio in Cullercoats on the North East coast. She has shown works in London and Venice and her installation You Make Me Think Of Dead Spiders聽was selected for the聽Middlesbrough Art Weekender. Her proposed work for聽Lumiere Durham is inspired by the idea of discovering a secret glimpse of summer sky.
Lucy McDonnell聽
Lucy聽is the director of a small art and design company based at the Biscuit Factory Studios in Newcastle, making metal sculpture and bespoke furniture. She has been involved in both small and large-scale sculptural projects over the years, but her first solo project Ursula Lassos the Moon was commissioned by Enchanted Parks and the Bowes Museum in 2017. Her winning idea is inspired by the link between toys and artworks, influenced by her two young children.
Lumiere聽returns to Durham from 14th-17th November 2019 for a spectacular 10th anniversary edition, illuminating the city with past festival favourites and exciting new works by UK and international artists.