Illuminated River Guided Walk

Shining a light on the bridges!

Once complete the lllu­mi­nat­ed Riv­er will be the longest public art commission in the world. Each bridge will have a specially designed sequence personally created by the artist and all together will shine a subtle and beautiful light on the Thames and London for many years to come.

American light artist Leo Villareal and London architects Lifschutz Davidson Sandilands impressed the jury of the competition with their exciting kinetic artwork as well as their respect for the natural environment, local inhabitants and the architectural character and history of the bridges.

In this walk we look at the first four bridges to be illuminated:

Millennium Bridge

Southwark Bridge

Cannon Street Railway Bridge

London Bridge

City Guides are proud to walk and talk about this dynamic project in the City enhanced with ‘light and code’ to create a monumental kinetic sculpture. We look at the bridges' history, ancient and modern, construction how and when, impact on the City as well as  engage you with the considerable collaboration that has taken place to bring this re-focus on the Thames which will open a wider discussion on lighting strategy for the bridges and the River as a whole. An exciting journey from an idea to reality and the involvement of many communities, boroughs, associations, and the public to create a piece of art that can be enjoyed by everyone.

“Leo Villareal's work is focused on stripping systems down to their essence to better understand the underlying structures and rules that govern how they work. He is interested in lowest common denominators such as pixels or the zeros and ones in binary code.” © Leo Villareal Artist’s Statement

Our groups are very small to adhere tp government rules and guidance from the Institute of Tourist Guiding.

 Booking is essential via Eventbrite