Lightwaves Salford 2024

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Staged around outdoor locations across Salford Quays and MediaCity, Lightwaves Salford invites families and friends of all ages to get together and explore captivating light installations that transform the waterside environment after dark.

This year’s event will feature 14 artworks, five of which are brand new commissions and are hosting their world premieres in Salford. Visitors can expect a variety of different works using light, sound and technology to create an unforgettable experience.

Sign up here for the artwork tours and artist talks during the festival:

Guided artwork tour: Saturday 7 December 5pm & Sunday 8 December, 4pm.

Artist talk – Gaika and Lazerian in conversation, hosted by Danny Fahey (Thirty Pound Gentleman): Saturday 7 December, 4pm, Creative Hub, Quayside Shopping Mall Level 1

Guided bike ride with Bee Pedal Ready : A guided bike ride to Lightwaves Salford departs from Salford Quays Metrolink at 4pm on Sunday 8 December.

BSL Guided tour of Lightwaves Salford: Saturday 7 December, 7pm

BSL Guided tour of Lowry Collection and Lightwaves: Salford Sunday 8 December, 3pm

Lightwaves Salford 2024 Artwork Line Up

A Cry for Help by Ben Everard (UK)

An interactive, thought-provoking artwork highlighting the decline in our inset population. insect world. Glittering critters slowly go dark when there’s no one there and brighten up when people move close again.

Entwined by Are You Playing Out (UK)

Capturing the vibrant essence of Salford and exploring how people and places intersect within the community, this artwork features curvilinear structures, undulating and pulsating with colour, sound and light

For Peace by Sedemminut (Slovakia)

A 125 m long artwork depicting a series of moving figures who go from walking to running, presented waterside along the quays - a personal expression of freedom and peace from Slovakian artist Sedemminut.

I Caught A… by Stéphane Masson (France)

What will you discover? A flying fish, a mini elephant, a solitary cloud? These are just some of the curiosities exhibited in this eccentric digital zoo that is sure to give wings to your imagination.

Monad by Anastasia Isachsen (Norway)

Projected onto a huge mist of water, Monad unites the elements of life: fire, air, water, and earth and presents a circle as a symbol of time, the perpetual motion of life – the giant rhythm of the universe.

On The Wave Of Light by Those Guys Lighting (Latvia)

An interactive installation that celebrates the vibration of light. Consisting of 100 interactive poles, this playful artwork responds to movement, shining and fading to create a beautiful wave of light.

Red Field by Nye Thompson and Krisstoffer Dunk (UK)

A brand new immersive and interactive art installation - Step into a glitching Martian landscape and leave your own footprints on Mars’ alien and politically contested landscape.

REFLECT by Emma Gasson (UK)

An immersive installation designed to create individual and collective experiences. Drift and relax as you interact with the surface of water, generating ripples and reflections for personal contemplation.

Somnius by Illumaphonium (UK)

An epic sky of light and sound dances in response to movement. Reminding us of our ongoing relationship with the cosmos, nature and each other - Somnius is a an unrestricted reimagining of the world… together.

Stellar Waves by Lazerian (UK)

A visionary kinetic sculpture that draws inspiration from the vast and enigmatic realms of space exploration, spacetime theory, gravitational forces, sound waves, and the visual language of 1980s graphics.

System - Lightwaves PSB by Gaika (UK)

A new commission that invites you into a world of lights, screens, sounds, and the chaotic world of bike riders in the urban environment. Created in collaboration with GM Bicycle Mayor Belinda Everett.

The Matter of the Heart by idontloveyouanymore (UK)

A collection of people with a connection to Greater Manchester. Wherever they are right now, their hearts will remain in this space, flashing together, in perfect time with their real-life heartbeats.

Through No 4 by Liz West (UK)

Originally commissioned by Quays Culture in 2021 - this well loved (and often Instagrammed) landmark on MediaCity shines like a jewel on the waterfront. See your surroundings in a different light.

Kate Doyle, Head of Programme for Quays Culture shared her excitement about this year’s line-up:

The team at Quays Culture are truly excited by the programme of artworks curated for what will be the 11th edition of Lightwaves Salford. Year on year the event delights audiences of all ages and we’re certain that 2024 will be no exception. The programme is one of our best yet and we’re looking forward to seeing visitors’ reactions to our thought-provoking new commissions.

In the dark winter months, human beings are instinctively drawn to light and the chance to gather together with other people. All are welcome to Lightwaves Salford to experience the joy of light art!