Meet the Artist - Martin Warden
The use of light has the ability to change what we see, influence our emotions and alters our perspective of the world around us. The use of colour can heighten that experience and indeed completely change the look of an object or situation.
As an artist, you can make the conscious decision to deceive or enhance, to complement or create, or just simply to illuminate your chosen subject.
When working with the iconic features found around the northeast, the addition of lighting, coloured or not, generally seeks to enhance the viewers experience at that moment. Now if the lighting was to change, subtly over a period, you could now consider the piece to be a performance which would seek to engage with the viewer.
As someone who has spent many years playing with colour to try and understand the effects, not only physically on a surface or object but on the emotional effect and appreciation of the viewer, it is fantastic to be asked to take part in Lumiere 2011, to enable others to see and enjoy the change that light can bring to the world around us.
Bridges and Buildings
Around Durham City, there are many Bridges. Whether they are old or new, traversed by car or by foot, they all have their own unique features. During Lumiere 2011 I have tried to enhance or highlight some features while linking to other themes and art works within the city.
My first "bridge piece" was not actually lighting as such but projection. This is the road bridge over the River Tweed at Berwick and this impressive projection was compiled by a local artist. The video produced showed 100 faces that morphed from one to another over a period of time. The scale of this piece and the reaction of those who saw this opened my eyes to the fact that different people can react in so many ways to a common stimulus.
Lumiere in 2009 took Durham City by storm. No one, I am sure, could imagine the effect that this festival would have on those who visited the city over the four nights. I was asked to look at a number of installations for the festival. The Cathedral, as seen from the river, stood out from the night sky, like a beacon, bathed in deep blue light, calling all from the surrounding areas to come to the city to see Lumiere. The depth of the blue and the ‘halo' effect gave the towers a feeling of magnificence as the coloured waters of the Wear flowed past. The effect of the intense colour was almost mesmerising.
The Infinity Bridge, Stockton. This is a beautiful bridge ordinarily, but once night came I had the opportunity to make it my own. The water is still at night and this is the time when the bridges name can be understood with fantastic reflections of both shape and colour in the water. The feeling surrounding the bridge changes as the colours change. From the darker and more intense colours to the lighter, brighter colours, it's as if the bridge was alive. Seeing the response to this installation was reward enough. An installation to be proud of.
Over a period of time the team at Hi-Lights and myself, have been fortunate enough to be asked to play with many a building or landmark. The addition of colour and movement can change the way we see these canvases. They are no longer just the means to cross a river or provide support to transport for our daily lives. They are now a means to cause wonder and excitement. The desire to stop and reflect, even if just for a moment. They provide conversation, may be even admiration.
Colour can be so many things. Each person's view and appreciation will likely be different but in actual fact, quite often, the result is the same.
The smile, the thought, the memory, the photograph. It's not just about what is pleasing to the eye of the 
artist, it's about communicating with the viewer, hoping that we can share this experience together and then the wish to take that memory away and hold it in your mind forever. This is my inspiration to continue lighting up the landmarks and icons of the northeast. To be able to play with colour, raise a smile and create a memory.
Martin C Warden : Artist (Finally)
