Photo Flash: GLOW 2021 Takes Place In Barking And Dagenham

Three light installations programmed by the residents of Barking and Dagenham appeared around the borough in April. GLOW festival illuminated the borough and shared a message of hope and togetherness.

GLOW was curated by the Creative Barking and Dagenham (CBD) Cultural Connectors. The festival has previously taken place at Eastbury Manor House, but this year popped up around the borough for residents to discover when out on their evening walk or to spy from their windows.

The first installation was Global Rainbow (2 - 5 April)

Created by Yvette Mattern, the light installation is an array of lasers beamed into the night sky in the pattern of a rainbow. It was placed at the top of CU London. Global Rainbow is being presented by Creative Barking and Dagenham as part of Global Streets, a national project funded through Arts Council England National Lottery Project Grants and managed by FESTIVAL.ORG.

Next was Lullaby (9 - 11 April). For a mobile installation created by Luke Jerram, volunteers from Barking and Dagenham decorated their bikes with lights for a night-time bike ride through the streets, playing lullaby music through speakers.

The final installation was Peace Poem (14 - 18 April). Made by renowned outdoor arts company Emergency Exit Arts, Peace Poem is a striking illuminated poem by Robert Montgomery that travelled on a mobile platform along the roads of Barking and Dagenham.

Photo Credit: Richard Johnson/Alastair Muir/Jimmy Lee