LightNight Liverpool 2021 reveals seven new commissions

LightNight Liverpool has unveiled seven new commissions for this year’s event – taking place live and online tonight.

Synth-pop trio Stealing Sheep will stage Song Machine both online and with a limited live audience, with people invited to submit words and poetry through the Twitter tag #playis which will become a mass songwriting experiment.

Homotopia will present Scouse singing sensation Philippa McKrackin and leading UK drag cabaret artists in a series of special performances outside Lush on Church Street, while a co-commission with Liverpool Biennial sees Haroon Mirza’s new film broadcast online.

The Three /\/\/\/’s (2021) explores social gatherings and ritual and is informed by the Fibonacci sequence and golden ratio – a mathematical phenomenon visible throughout nature and often applied in classical art.

There will also be a 3D cut out opera titled Project Earth: Liverpool! The Cut-Out Opera by Love Ssega commissioned by Metal and showcased online, a live-steamed interactive digital commission with audience suggestions painted into a magical VR world, and a piece exploring sound waves and social gatherings.

Above: Stealing Sheep. Top: Play the Stars - Rosie Summers

The annual LightNight Liverpool celebration is organised by Open Culture.

This year’s event has the theme Play, and the organisation has launched a #LoveLightLight Crowdfinder to help support the programme and artists involved.

Christina Grogan, Director of Open Culture, said: “We’re thrilled to be planning LightNight for 2021 following such an uncertain time for events which are essential to the creative and economic life of Liverpool.

“We’re very grateful to our funders, sponsors, and everyone who has contributed to our Crowdfunder so far; supporting us to create a powerful collaborative festival with our artists, organisations, communities and partners.

“We hope to offer audiences a space to ‘Play’ this year and try something new after such a long but necessary lockdown.”

LightNight Liverpool takes place on May 21 online and on the streets. The full programme is on the website HERE.