Digital dragon will fire imaginations at Light Night Leeds

A huge fire-breathing dragon will land in Leeds city centre bringing myth and legend to life at this year’s Light Night Leeds festival.

The awe-inspiring creation, entitled Forgotten, will be projected across The Queen’s Hotel on City Square in one of the showpiece events at this October’s two-night cultural spectacular.

The brainchild of Belgian artists Create Studio, the piece tells the captivating tale of a vengeful dragon, imprisoned for centuries in a medieval dungeon, which has escaped in modern-day Leeds.

Using the latest 3D video mapping and CGI, Forgotten wowed crowds at Ghent Light Festival in Belgium where it debuted earlier this year.

Thibault Dochy creative director at Create Studio said: “We were eager to make something that people would remember and talk about a year from now and say ‘remember that dragon last year?!”

“Classical video mappings are very impressive but they don’t really tell a story and audiences want to see things they recognise or can talk about. With this in mind we took a different approach.

“We sat down and, since we’re still just grown up children, all that came to mind was ‘dragons’ and live pyro so we just went along with that and made a fire spitting dragon.”

Forgotten will be one of more than 60 captivating installations which will transform well-known locations around the city centre including Victoria Leeds, Kirkgate Market, Leeds Town Hall and Leeds Civic Hall.

This year’s event has the theme of progress and innovation, and will be presented in a series of zones supported by the local business community.

Forgotten will be part of the Station Zone, supported by Addleshaw Goddard.

Simon Kamstra, head of Addleshaw Goddard's Leeds office, said: "Addleshaw Goddard celebrates Leeds as a thriving international business, creative and cultural centre, and we are thrilled to be co-sponsors of this internationally renowned festival.

"This year's themes of progress and innovation resonate with us as an innovative legal business, and we are inviting all our staff and clients to get involved in the wonderful activities planned around the city, and encouraging them to see Leeds in a new light."

This year, Light Night’s headline supporter is Leeds 2023. Other installations at this year’s event include Chaos, a projection on Leeds Civic Hall exploring the relationship between science and nature, and Bouquet D’Abat Jour, a series of giant illuminated lampshades on Victoria gardens brought to Leeds by French artists TILT.

Councillor Judith Blake, leader of Leeds City Council said: “Over the past 14 years, Light Night Leeds has continued to evolve, growing into an event of such impressive ambition and creativity that it has become one of the benchmarks for culture and innovation in Leeds and beyond.

“As Light Night once again brings thousands of people together, we hope that the event is not only a celebration of culture and artistic endeavour, but also of the unity, diversity and collective civic pride which are part of the foundation of Leeds.”

Light Night Leeds takes place on October 4 and 5 from 6pm until 11pm. The event’s headline partner is Leeds 2023.

For more details, visit: lightnightleeds.co.uk or follow @LightNightLeeds on Twitter

ENDS

For media enquiries, please contact:

Stuart Robinson

Communications Officer

Leeds City Council

Tel: 0113 378 9182 (please note my new number)

Email: stuart.robinson@leeds.gov.uk

www.leeds.gov.uk