Fire Tornado art installation to light up
Durham’s Riverside during Lumiere 2017
The installation is sponsored by Milburngate as part of the developers’ third successive sponsorship of the Lumiere Festival.
Allan Cook, Managing Director of Arlington Real Estate and Chair of the Lumiere development board, said: “Fire Tornado will be one of the most dramatic art installations at Lumiere and our Milburngate team is delighted to be hosting what will surely be one of the festivals highlights.
“It will certainly help stave off the cold for those who come to view it and be a beacon of light that can be spotted from across the city.”
Transforming Durham into a giant gallery featuring a multitude of creative light installations, the biannual festival attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors to the city and has become a must see event in Durham.
November will see Durham’s riverside illuminated by a dramatic tower of fire Milburngate as part of this year’s Lumiere Festival, which takes place in the city next month.
One of Lumiere’s centrepiece installations, known as Fire Tornado is a dramatic structure incorporating 36 wind generators that create a vortex around a large fire source, which will be located at Milburngate for the duration of the four-day festival of light. The installation’s flame retardant windshields make it possible to produce stable tornado flames up to 16m high.
The commissioned artist, Ivo Schoofs, was inspired to create the installation after witnessing a tornado of flames during a forest fire, which elevated the blaze into the sky. By replicating his inspiration in controlled conditions, Ivo will deliver a unique sensory experience that not only captures the essence of his vision, but also interprets the traditional British November bonfire.