This year’s Light Night Leeds features work by fine art graduate Ed Green
Visitors to the University of Leeds campus for Light Night Leeds 2024 will get another glimpse of BA Fine Art graduate Ed Green’s light installation, ‘Shed Light’.
Light Night Leeds is the UK’s largest annual arts and light festival and will return on Thursday 24 and Friday 25 October 2024.
For the past 19 years, over two nights in October, some of Leeds’s most recognisable indoor and outdoor spaces have been transformed by spectacular artworks and captivating performances by local, national and international artists.
Artwork by Ed Green and others will add to this year's Light Night activity across the University of Leeds. The University Zone will transform the heart of campus with a host of large-scale light installations, immersive experiences and participatory activities for families.
Inside Ed Green’s ‘Shed Light’. Photo © Ed Green.
Ed Green is a visual multimedia artist who graduated in July 2024 from the School of Fine Art, History of Art and Cultural Studies with a BA Fine Art. For the final year degree show – Sardines – Green created ‘Shed Light’ – an imaginative structure constructed from found and recycled materials, including windows, mirrors and timber.
Returning to campus for Light Night Leeds, Ed Green’s immersive space will invite visitors to explore the interplay of light and reflection, with music and sound-reactive lights creating a dynamic atmosphere. The installation encourages audiences to capture photos, interact with the environment, and enjoy a sensory escape into a world of infinite reflections and vibrant visuals.
Exterior view of Ed Green’s ‘Shed Light’ at the Sardines BA fine Art Degree Show, University of Leeds, June 2024. Photo © Ed Green.
Green’s playful structure of found materials forms part of a set of works commissioned by the university’s Cultural Institute. Earlier this year, students were invited to respond to the Smeaton300 theme, 'Inspired by Nature', a tribute to Leeds-born engineer John Smeaton’s legacy in nature-inspired innovation. The Cultural Institute provided support and funding for the selected installations, encouraging students to creatively explore the theme while emphasizing sustainability and public engagement.
‘Shed Light’ joins two other innovative commissioned pieces on campus. Student Ellie Craig’s ‘Illuminating Recovery’ is an interactive installation symbolizing support and resilience. Artist and practice-led Postgraduate Researcher Kelly Cumberland’s ‘Iteration LN24’ will blend art and science, through highlighting cellular processes through light and shadow.
The works will be located under cover by Edward Boyle Library, on a tree outside the Social Sciences Building and in the Pyramid Theatre (inside Leeds University Union). Other installations and experiences across campus include further contributions from staff and researchers in the Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Cultures.
Ed Green installs ‘Shed Light’ close to the Edward Boyle Library for Light Night Leeds 2024. Photo courtesy of the Cultural Institute.
This is the second time the Cultural Institute have commissioned work for Light Night Leeds. Last year’s iteration saw a poem by Zaffar Kunial brought to life in ‘Light Can Also Rhyme’ – a projection piece created by BA Fine Art alumna Hannah Guy and visual artist and technician Katherine Lacey, with music composed by Ashruta Mani, a student in the School of Music.
‘Light can also Rhyme’ by Hannah Guy, Katherine Lacey and Ashruta Mani in the University Zone, Light Night Leeds 2023. Photo by Katherine Lacey.
Ed Green said:
“‘Shed Light’ was built out of a frustration with the subjectivity of art. I wanted to create something that was more of an experience for the viewer, something they could feel and interact with.
“It was inspired by an amalgamation of different things I had experienced seen on my year abroad between the second and third years of my course. Japan was a huge inspiration for the light boxes – I was obsessed by the LED advertising there, lighting up the city at night with an array of colours.
Ed Green’s ‘Shed Light’ at the Sardines BA fine Art Degree Show, University of Leeds, June 2024. Photo © Ed Green.
“My interaction with windows also heavily inspired the piece. My camera roll was full of abstract photos taken through windows which provide a double reflection – especially at night where different lights in front and behind the windows creates a really interested effect.
“An integral part of my art practice is centred around using discarded and recycled materials that I can find, for free. I had the rough idea for this piece before starting my final year at university. Over the course of the year, I was collecting materials as and when I found them. In Leeds there is so much domestic waste around. I found all the windows used in the piece on the streets, as well as some of the mirrors and bits of wood. The timber frame was all salvaged for free.
“However, most of the mirrors had to be bought from charity shops due to the vast quantity I needed. The build is a patchwork of all different kinds of materials – it is a reflection of my art practice and my style of using all that I can find.
Ed Green, Skip, 2021. Drone photograph of installation. Photo courtesy of the artist.
“By the time Light Night is over, I will have put up and taken down the shed eight times. The first time I built it was in my bedroom whilst at university. I slept in the front room for six weeks without curtains whilst I built it. It was a massive inconvenience! It was built to the size of my room and I couldn’t get to a lot of things during that time that I hadn’t taken out of the cupboards before building it.
“Since the degree show I have added to the piece to alter it for the space at Light Night and the occasion of being in the public domain, making it more accessible to people walking past.
External detail of Ed Green’s ‘Shed Light’ at the Sardines BA fine Art Degree Show, University of Leeds, June 2024. Image © University of Leeds. Photo by Andy Lord.
“It is a great honour to be selected for Light Night Leeds, to be part of something like this is a huge accolade. I remember going to Light Night in Bristol in 2019 when I was doing my Foundation course and being so inspired. It's crazy to think I’m now part of the one in Leeds!
“My dream is to develop a career as an artist and getting this commission has felt like the start of trying to make this happen. I’m so aware how challenging this is going to be and, in my time since leaving university, I’m still committed to my goals and still making. My art practice is so diverse which I something I enjoy. I am not limited by medium or size, which keeps it interesting when making.
“I’m not too sure what’s next for me after Light Night, I have a couple of different options of what to do – creating art is still at the top of my agenda. I love the idea of combining art, music and dancing – perhaps the next step is to pitch the concept of ‘Shed Light’ to festivals for use as stage design.”
Wide angle view of the interior of Ed Green’s ‘Shed Light’ at the Sardines BA fine Art Degree Show, University of Leeds, June 2024. Photo © Ed Green.
Nichola Casse, Project Manager at the Cultural Institute, said:
“Through this commission, we wanted to provide students with an opportunity to bring their work to a wider audience, while providing a fun, participatory experience for people of all ages to explore our campus and see what the University has to offer.
“Ed Green’s piece offers a vibrant, interactive experience for visitors that invites everyone to explore the world through new perspectives.”
More information
Light Night Leeds takes place on Thursday 24 and Friday 25 October in various locations across Leeds between 6pm and 10pm. Find out more about Light Night Leeds 2024.
Discover the University Zone at Light Night Leeds, featuring a range of large-scale light installations, immersive experiences and participatory activities including Ed Green’s ‘Shed Light’.
Follow Ed Green on Instagram @ edwardgreen99
Feature image
Interior view of Ed Green’s ‘Shed Light’, Sardines BA fine Art Degree Show, University of Leeds, June 2024. Photo © Ed Green.
