Giant inflatables and illuminated slinky among artworks lighting up Aberdeen
A giant inflatable castle and a huge illuminated slinky spring are among the works awaiting visitors at this year's Spectra festival in Aberdeen, which opens on Thursday evening.
The 2025 edition of the annual light festival, now in its 11th year, will feature 15 artworks at various locations around the Granite City, along with entertainment from street performers, dancers and musicians.
Organisers said they are expecting thousands of visitors to attend the free festival – branded 'Scotland's festival of light' – which runs until Sunday.
Last year the event drew crowds of more than 100,000 and was estimated to have contributed £2.6 million to the local economy.
Works on show in the 2025 festival include the Sky Castle, an interactive sound and light installation designed by Australian artists ENESS, where the sound and light change as visitors walk through a series of inflatable arches, plus an interactive neon colouring wall by Scottish illustrator Johanna Basford.
Visitors will also be able to experience a 50-metre multi-sensory walkway designed by Kent-based Lucid Creates, which uses 'the mediums of sound, light, dark, shadows, depth linearity and illusion' to create a distinctive sonic and visual experience, as well as an illuminated slinky spring and giant moon moored to a boat by Newcastle-based Studio Vertigo.
Meanwhile images depicting parts of Aberdeen's rich history will form the centrepiece of Fit D'You Know About the Bon Accord?, a video installation by award-winning Scottish artist Council Baby, which is being hosted in the Sculpture Court area of Aberdeen Art Gallery.
Councillor Martin Greig, cultural spokesman for Aberdeen City Council, which owns and commissions the festival, said: 'Spectra is finally here and we cannot wait for visitors from the city and beyond to revel in the magic that this year's festival offers.
'The planning for this year's festival has been under way for months. A great deal of people have been working with the council to make this event a success.
'There has been excellent collaboration with artists and local groups.
'All the preparation and hard work is going to create wonderful experiences for everyone to enjoy. The opening night is a very happy celebration of all the collective artistic activity.'
Spectra is free to attend and runs at various locations in Aberdeen from 5.30pm to 10pm each night.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Scotsman
4 hours ago
- Scotsman
‘Significant challenges' in use of AI within UK screen sector
Hans Lucas/AFP via Getty Images Scottish researchers were among those to create the report Sign up to our Arts and Culture newsletter, get the latest news and reviews from our specialist arts writers Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... The use of artificial intelligence (AI) within the UK screen sector raises 'significant legal, ethical, and practical challenges' such as the use of copyrighted material being used without the permission of the rights holders, a report has warned. Other issues highlighted by the British Film Institute (BFI) report include the safeguarding of human creative control, the fear of jobs being lost as positions are replaced through the use of AI, and investment in training in new skills. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad High energy consumption and carbon emissions, and the risks to creative content around biased data, are also described as being of concern. The report, which has been carried out in partnership with CoSTAR universities Goldsmiths, Loughborough and Edinburgh, analyses how the screen sector is using and experimenting with rapidly evolving generative AI technologies. It warned that the 'primary issue' was the use of copyrighted material – such as hundreds of thousands of film and TV scripts – in the training of generative AI models, without payment or the permission of rights-holders. 'This practice threatens the fundamental economics of the screen sector if it devalues intellectual property creation and squeezes out original creators,' the report said. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad But it added that the UK's strong foundation in creative technology – as it is home to more than 13,000 creative technology companies – means that the UK screen sector is well positioned to adapt to the technological shift. Getty Images The report – titled AI in the Screen Sector: Perspectives and Paths Forward – said generative AI promises to democratise and revolutionise the industry, with the BBC, for example, piloting AI initiatives. Meanwhile, projects such as the Charismatic consortium, which is backed by Channel 4 and Aardman Animations, aim to make AI tools accessible to creators regardless of their budget or experience. It said this could empower a new wave of British creators to produce high-quality content with modest resources, though concerns about copyright and ethical use remain significant barriers to full adoption. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The report sets out nine key recommendations it suggests should be addressed within the next three years to enable the UK screen sector to thrive in using AI. These include establishing the UK as a world-leading market of IP licensing for AI training, and embedding sustainability standards to reduce AI's carbon footprint. It also calls for structures and interventions to pool knowledge, develop workforce skills and target investments in the UK's creative technology sector, while it urges support for independent creators through accessible tools, funding and ethical AI products. The BFI's director of research and innovation, Rishi Coupland, said: 'AI has long been an established part of the screen sector's creative toolkit, most recently seen in the post-production of the Oscar-winning The Brutalist, and its rapid advancement is attracting multimillion investments in technology innovator applications. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'However, our report comes at a critical time and shows how generative AI presents an inflection point for the sector and, as a sector, we need to act quickly on a number of key strategic fronts. 'Whilst it offers significant opportunities for the screen sector such as speeding up production workflows, democratising content creation and empowering new voices, it could also erode traditional business models, displace skilled workers, and undermine public trust in screen content. 'The report's recommendations provide a roadmap to how we can ensure that the UK's world-leading film, TV, video games and VFX industries continue to thrive by making best use of AI technologies to bring their creativity, innovations and storytelling to screens around the globe.' Professor Jonny Freeman, director of CoSTAR Foresight Lab, said: 'This latest CoSTAR Foresight Lab report, prepared by the BFI, navigates the complex landscape of AI in the screen sector by carefully weighing both its transformative opportunities and the significant challenges it presents. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'The report acknowledges that while AI offers powerful tools to enhance creativity, efficiency, and competitiveness across every stage of the production workflow – from script development and pre-production planning, through on-set production, to post-production and distribution – it also raises urgent questions around skills, workforce adaptation, ethics, and sector sustainability.' CoSTAR is a £75.6 million national network of laboratories that are developing new technology to maintain the UK's world-leading position in gaming, TV, film, performance, and digital entertainment.
Rhyl Journal
6 hours ago
- Rhyl Journal
All Aboard! Bluey delights families at Corwen Station
Children's favourite Bluey welcomed families to Corwen station during a special event on Saturday, June 7 and Sunday, June 8. The popular pup delighted little ones (and grown-ups!) by waving and excitedly jumping. Llangollen Railway, a Heritage Railway Line running between Llangollen, following the River Dee through the Dee Valley for 10 miles, to Corwen, ran the event in partnership Fox & Edwards Events. One fan who managed to see Bluey took to the Llangollen Railway Facebook page and said: "We took our little one, it was amazing." Another person said: "This was a great experience for our little one, he was slightly star struck when Bluey reached out for him." Another excited fan who wished they had gone said: "I would have just exploded if I saw this." A description into the event said: "Our vintage steam train will be waiting to welcome you for a journey of approximately 60 minutes. This relaxed journey is approximately 10 miles in total with a pause in the middle of the trip while the locomotive changes ends - look out for it puffing past. MORE NEWS: "Every child and infant will receive a gingerbread train biscuit and juice carton, too. "When we return, Bluey will be waiting for friendly waves and to see fans like you. "Don't forget to bring your camera to get some snaps." Corwen station is a new build station and is the western terminus of the Railway. The station opened on the June 1 2023 and has been built mainly by volunteers with contractors doing specialist jobs such as the canopy. Bluey has become essential viewing for pre-schoolers and their parents. The Australian animated TV series is incredibly popular globally and receives billions of views per week.
The National
8 hours ago
- The National
The actor passionate about putting Scottish talent on the world stage
And he hopes that the recent appointment of Alan Cumming as artistic director of Pitlochry Theatre will help that happen. 'There is definitely a buzz around Pitlochry just now and Scottish theatre could really use that sense of excitement,' said Collins, who is appearing in three productions at the theatre this summer, including Grease which opens this month. 'Making Scottish entertainment more globally recognised is one thing I am always really passionate about,' he added. 'I know that Canada, America and Australia would love to see more Scottish content and I know that we have the talent here and that we can do it. It is just a matter of finding out how to package these things up.' READ MORE: 'Joy, celebration and warmth' of Palestinian art to be showcased at Edinburgh Fringe He is now on the cusp of applying for indefinite leave to remain, but Collins's commitment to Scotland and Scottish theatre was tested severely back in 2017 when he struggled to renew his visa from the UK Home Office. At the time he had been in Scotland for 10 years, having arrived in 2007 to study at the RSAMD, now the Royal Conservatoire in Glasgow. However, when his visa ran out, he was forced to go back to the United States to re-apply after the Arts Council in England failed to endorse his initial application. This was despite protests from well-known actors like Greg Hemphill and Jack Lowden and a successful run of work in Scotland, including playing Hen Broon to much acclaim in the stage production of The Broons cartoon strip. Eventually successful but having lost out on months of work, Collins returned to Scotland and has never regretted it. 'The idea of starting over in America did not appeal and especially now the way things are,' he said. 'I've been super lucky, even in Covid when I got to do voiceovers for Lego and Warhammer and other amazing projects, including recording a video game after lockdown that has just come out on Xbox called Star Trucker.' His commitment to Scotland remains even after all the setbacks his adopted country has suffered since 2014. 'One of the reasons I stayed in Scotland after I graduated is that I felt a bit of a renaissance happening here and felt I wanted to be a part of it and help that movement,' he said. 'We've had the legs kicked out from under us a few times with the indyref and Covid but I am trying to keep the faith and spotlight all the really talented Scots and people who work in Scotland as more people should be seeing them.' Although he has now lived in Scotland for most of his adult life, Glasgow-based Collins only visited Pitlochry for the first time last year. 'It's a beautiful part of the world and it's lovely to be working here just now, as it's an exciting time with Alan coming in,' said Collins, who is appearing as Kenickie in Grease which runs in Pitlochry from June 18 to September 27. He will also appear in the theatre's forthcoming Great Gatsby production and Sunshine on Leith. READ MORE: This bird species is found only in Scotland – and may 'have a Scottish accent' Grease is a co-production with Blackpool Grand Theatre and it is the first time it has been staged as an actor/musician show. 'We're all playing instruments on stage and playing all the backing,' said Collins, who plays guitar. 'That has been pretty cool and the calibre of the musicians is awesome. It's really fun and all the songs are great. It's a toe-tapper that people enjoy.' Director Sam Hardie pointed out that although the musical is now 50 years old, its songs fill dance floors, karaoke rooms and play on radio stations across the world. 'I still remember the feeling of seeing the film for the first time, with songs that made you just want to move and characters you longed to be,' he said. 'The story is a celebration of what it means to be young: to fall in and out of love, to rebel, to dream, to dance and discover who we are and who we want to be. 'Now feels like exactly the right moment to tell this story and meet these young people who remind us of the vitality of life and that in this world we should go together rather than individuals apart.'
