The Matter of The Heart
“like a graveyard of the living”
Light Up Lancaster is one of my favourite events in our local calendar. Not just the sense of community and beautiful bustling dark evenings in the city, but I absolutely love seeing the art installations all lit up. I have been fortunate enough to see some incredible installations by some great artists over the years, so I was delighted to be invited to get involved with one of them for Light Up 2024. I had to wear a heart rate monitor for the duration of the exhibition which was then linked to an app on my iPhone. It was definitely a talking point!
Each cube was lit up with the name of the person’s heart and a quote about their home town.
“The Matter of The Heart is a collection of local hearts: 100 people and their real-time heart 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 real life heartbeat.
The curation of a community, expressed purely through the live heart-beat data of local people. It is an expression of a place's societal networks, and a demonstration of the collective power of community. As an audience member you're invited to walk among the flashing hearts, like a graveyard of the living, to allow the interconnectivity of life to light your path.”
Initially commissioned by the Light Up Lancaster, Quays Culture, Oldham and Barnsley Bright Nights,
Created by artists and designers, idontloveyouanymore, The Matter of The Heart is a celebration of the human spirit, and a reminder of the power of community.
