Kilburn Grange Park became an exhibition of light, sound and local art as it hosted the return of the Light Up Kilburn festival.
Hundreds of residents came to witness their local park transformed into a free family-friendly event produced by Hive Curates in collaboration with Camden Council.
The two-day February festival was a sensory display of illuminated trails, interactive art, soundscapes and performances for residents to enjoy and explore.
Hive Curates are described by their co-founder Mark Beattie as ‘curators, artists and placemakers’ who strive to ‘bridge the gap between culture and community’.
Beattie described why events like this are important.
“Especially for areas like Kilburn,” said Beattie. “Perhaps residents here don’t expect their park to be turned and transformed into something like this. And why shouldn’t it happen here?”
Hive first hosted Light Up Kilburn in 2024, championing community collaboration and laying foundations for this year’s festival.
Beattie added: “Being from outside Kilburn it was really important for us to imbed ourselves in the community so we understand the area, meet the local artists, and meet the local community groups.”
The exhibited art which focused on the themes of biodiversity and women’s safety at night was commissioned especially for the event – some of which was a product of co-creation between artists, local schools and community groups.
Artist, Linett Kamala, showcased the world debut of her ‘Basstone Maypole’ an interactive art piece inspired by the English maypole tradition and her Jamaican heritage – Kamala describes it as ‘a maypole like no other’.
In the day the maypole remains stationary, whilst its speaker base plays sounds of birdsong, echoing the natural sounds heard in the urban area when the city sleeps.
By night the installation transforms into a technicolour interactive performance piece, as volunteers from the crowd dance the maypole to the beat of dancehall riddims.
Each hour Kamala held live performances, with crowds gathering around the maypole to take part and observe, she said: “(Interactive art) brings out joy it’s a way we can connect with each other as humans.”
Daisy Doig, neon artist, showcased her piece “Windows”, a life-sized neon-framed recreation of four Kilburn windows drawing on the theme of women’s safety.
Inspired by her mum’s advice for walking home alone at night ‘look for a house with lights on’, has always stuck in Doig’s head.
She said: “I wanted to create an art piece that reflected that feeling of safety.”
Doig also hoped that her work would inspire local people to become more observant of their surroundings and the streets they walk down everyday.
Auda Sakho, artist and costume designer, participated in the event for the second time with her new project ‘Spectral wardrobe’ – a live installation combining textile and science.
The installation featured an illuminated image of molecular patterns projected on the park’s pathways and a sustainably sourced jacket, hand-dyed using natural fibres.
Sakho’s work honours the park’s biodiversity – drawing inspiration from plant cells, algae, spirulina structures and leaf fibres- whilst emulating and examining safety at night.
Light artist and creative technologist, Daphne Ting-Yu Chu, and theatre and architectural lighting designer Shu Ang Yeh, collaborated their talents to create ‘ Natural Concerto’, a magnificent sensory display featuring plants, light and sound.
Natural Concerto combines art with the technology of touch sensors, programmable LED lighting, and spatialised sound.
The installation invites the audience to touch the plants, which release living sounds of the park, previously recorded in community workshops, Daphne described: “When you touch it – it releases a sound and that sound is like a fragment of this park.”
Daphne and Ang aimed to create a collective memory of Kilburn Grange Park and connect urban residents with the biodiversity around them and each other.
“The invention is… something playful. Through playfulness, people can connect.”
The event brought all corners of the community together and the hope is that it leaves a lasting memory and legacy that will continue to inspire local people.
Feature image: Jade McDowell
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