North London neighbourhood and entertainment district Wembley Park has announced the return of the large-scale, site-specific commission ‘A Guiding Light’ to the area’s public Art Trail this winter. Originally commissioned in 2022, the installation by renowned light artists Douglas Green and Louisa Smurthwaite returns, transforming Olympic Way into an immersive canvas of light, colour and movement.
Utilising the sheer scale of the pedestrian boulevard, ‘A Guiding Light’ is comprised of 36 seven-metre-tall banners depicting the 12 hours of the moon rising and the 12 hours of the sun setting. Extending the visual experience, a new series of overhead luminaries has been installed to accompany visitors along their journey. Suspended above the boulevard, these twinkling elements sway softly in the breeze, creating a rhythmic counterpoint to the banners and completing the immersive environment.
The artwork takes its cue from the night sky, which has guided and fascinated humanity for thousands of years—from the worship of the Mesopotamian god Sin to the discoveries of the James Webb Telescope. Green and Smurthwaite created the piece to explore how the sky gives each of us a sense of time, place, and orientation: we look to the moon for wisdom, speak of loved ones as stars, and follow constellations for direction, meaning, or faith.
The creation process champions human craft in an age of automation: each individual sun and moon depicted across the banners has been hand-drawn by Green. Starting with photographic studies, he layered unique illustrations with influences from the Northern Lights to distant constellations, creating a meditation on our enduring, physical connection to the cosmos.
Douglas Green, Artist, said: “We look to the night sky for inspiration, for guidance and for navigation, while the constellations and the zodiac are important to many diverse individuals around the world. Some see their ancestors as stars. It was an incredible opportunity to have such a large canvas to work with.”
Green and Smurthwaite are established figures in light art design. Their portfolio spans high-profile collaborations with musical icons including Lady Gaga, David Byrne, Lorde, and Kylie Minogue, as well as major projects with visual artist Olafur Eliasson and Company Wayne McGregor at the Paris Opera Bastille.
Further Festive Installations on Display
Complementing the celestial commission on Olympic Way is a wider programme of light and culture, including the outdoor exhibition ‘From Saint to Santa’ , tracking the history of Father Christmas from Roman Saturnalia to AI age, and ‘The Wishing Tree’, a 30ft participatory installation by IWANT Design Studio on the Spanish Steps being filled throughout December with community messages, hopes and wishes. The Wembley Park Art Trail also features site-specific light interventions that interact with the local architecture, ranging from neon-filled Grade II-listed K6 telephone boxes to the Shadow Wall installation by Jason Bruges Studio.
For more information please visit wembleypark.com/christmas.
