The theme for Spectra 2025 is ‘Journeys’ and our programme for this year features a range of inspirational artwork that will not only take you on an artistic journey, but that reflect the artists own experiences and encourages audiences to consider theirs. Spectra, Scotland’s Festival of Light, kicks off a year of exciting events and festivals in north-east Scotland, culminating in the arrival of the Tall Ships race where Aberdeen will welcome boats that will journey from all over the world to reach us.
- ABERDEEN Letters
The iconic ABERDEEN letters will be relocated from Union Terrace Gardens to Broad Street for Spectra 2025, providing the ultimate Spectra festival selfie opportunity with a brand new design just for Scotland’s Festival of Light and a stunning backdrop of Marischal College and Lucid Creates – Futures. Made possible through partnership with Aberdeen Inspired - Council Baby – Fit D’You Know About the Bon Accord
Fit D’You Know About the Bon Accord is a large-scale suspended ‘stained glass’ algorithmic video installation. This work consists of four unique stained glass designs, each capturing a different era of Aberdeen’s rich history: the Picts, the Romans, the rise of Christianity, and contemporary life in Aberdeen transitioning into one another through stable diffusion and …Read more “Council Baby – Fit D’You Know About the Bon Accord”
- Double Take – Voyage
Embark on a vibrant maritime adventure with Voyage, a new projection-mapping artwork that transforms the historic Clock Tower of the Kirk of St Nicholas. Inspired by the theme of ‘Journeys,’ the installation draws from Aberdeen’s rich seafaring heritage and the timeless allure of the sea. Navigate ancient nautical maps and follow lighthouses as you dive … - ENESS – Sky Castle
Sky Castle is a dreamy, interactive sound and light installation, featuring a cluster ofinflatable arches that span in colourful symphony across public space. As guests move through the arches, their movement powers and progresses themelodic xylophone soundscape stimulating colour changes in each arch. Light,colour and music have been orchestrated to evoke the joy and hope … - Fusion Dance Company
Citymoves Dance Agency’s youth company Fusion will once again be appearing at Spectra with a new performance. They’ll be performing each day (time and location TBC). - Heinrich & Palmer – Winds of Change
Set against a backdrop of Scottish wind farms and the oil rigs at Cromarty Firth,‘Winds of Change’ journeys through aspects of Aberdeen’s unique maritime andindustrial story from tall ships and granite, to oil and the transition towardsrenewable energy and wind power. The artwork combines video footage and stopframe animation with 3D animated sequences of point … - idontloveyouanymore – The Matter of the Heart
The Matter of The Heart is a collection of local hearts: 60 people and their real-timeheart beats. Wherever they are now, together or apart, far away or near the artwork,their hearts will remain in one space, flashing together, in perfect time with their reallife heartbeat. The curation of a community, expressed purely through the live … - Illuminated Voices – Our JourneyWorking with Scottish poet, author and educator Simon Lamb, pupils will be engagedto explore their own journey’s through poetry and short form writing. To and fro, to and froIn my little boat I goSailing far across the seaAll alone, just little me.Katherine Mansfield Produced works will be displayed in the arches at Union Terrace Gardens …
- Inspired by Spectra
A vibrant showcase of work produced by school and community groups inspired by Spectra, Scotland’s Festival of Light. - Johanna Basford – NEON Colouring Wall
Leading Scottish illustrator and queen of adult colouring books, Johanna Basford, provides a special Spectra colouring experience on a large scale. Visitors will use neon markers to colour artwork by Johanna over the course of the festival. - Kumquat Labs – Reunion
Reunion is a light art installation representing connectedness and the act ofgathering people together. It takes the form of light arches which curve towardseach other, signifying contact and connection. The rotating colour patterns areinspired by the movements of bodies revolving in a circle. Designed to celebrate the opportunity to come together again following thepandemic, visitors … - LEM – Universal CommunicationWhat message would you send to the universe? Using a high powered light beam pointed directly towards the sky, and thecommunication method of Morse Code, a message sharing our collective journey willbe transmitted out to the universe. Moving at the speed of light and with the potential to theoretically travel indefinitely,where will our message end …
- Lucid Creates – Futures
FUTURES is an experimental audio-visual installation designed to distort reality,creating shifts in time and space, exploring the contrast between light and dark andits effect on the human perception of space. It is a multi-sensory, multi-dimensional journey utilising the mediums of sound, light,dark, shadows, depth linearity and illusion – resulting in an evocative sonic and visualexperience. … - Northern Lights Programme
// About // Visitors are invited to journey into an imaginary world with Northern Lights. Led by artist Craig Barrowman, along with a commissioned line-up of 5 artists connected to the northeast, this eclectic virtual exhibition transforms public space into an immersive experience. Using a smartphone camera to scan QR codes, audiences can explore an … - Stage of LightA music programme will be delivered from the St Nicholas Bandstand – becomingSPECTRA’s Stage of Light for the festival. The Stage of Light will showcase the amazing talents of singer songwriters from acrossthe North East, and will provide an interesting and vibrant experience for all who attendSPECTRA in 2025. 1800 – 1900 1900 – …
- Stevie Thompson – Mycelium Network
Mycelium network is an example of the hidden underground connections betweenmushrooms, plants and trees. Beneath the ground across the planet there are millions offine roots called hyphae which play an important part in nature. Mycelium plays an important roll in protecting the environment and providing for humanity.Apart from providing us with food and medicine, mycelium … - Storytelling with Pauline and Lindsey
Storytelling with Pauline and Lindsey in the magical setting of Cowdray Hall. Pauline is a storyteller from the fishing and farming traditions of the North East of Scotlandand enjoys telling a variety of traditional Scottish tales, fairy tales, folk tales creation mythsand the occasional home-grown tale of her own. Since 2001 she has been involved … - Studio Vertigo – End Over End
“Slinky was once just a little old everyday spring on a ship. One day Dick took it hometo show his family. His little boy, Tommy, surprised everybody by making the springwalk down the stairs—all by itself!” That’s what is written in an old Slinky toy salesbrochure. And that’s how the spiral-shaped ‘stair walker’ was born, … - Studio Vertigo – Ursula Lassos the Moon
Unattainable, even divine and spiritual, the Moon has long been thought of as anenchanted and mysterious object. And while no woman has yet stepped foot on the lunar surface, women have longbeen associated with the Moon. In western mythology it is often represented asfemale, and both have endured narratives of conquest throughout history. Over 50 … - Urban Hijackin – I caught a…
I caught a…. flying fish, mini elephant, solitary cloud… These are just some of theimages captured. As night falls, you will discover the curiosities exhibited in a cage erected in thestreet so as to enchant passers-by. This immersive visual experience also makes us aware of the blurred line betweenreality and fiction: the cloud may be …