A new art project featuring over 300 lines of poetry from a selection of Nottinghamshire writers launches tonight.
‘Line of Light’, created by artist Jo Fairfax, will project five-word poems by writers including Byron, Lawrence and Ovid onto the underside of the Karlsruhe Friendship Bridge from 6pm.
The installation will feature two sets of parallel lines mirroring the tram tracks above the bridge, which will light up and pulse as a tram crosses overhead.
Patterns of light will continue under the tram tracks to the canal, finishing with a projection of Nottingham lace.
The project was commissioned by Nottingham City Council to celebrate Nottingham’s recent City of Literature Status, making it one of only 20 cities around the world recognised by UNESCO for its quality literary excellence.
Jo, who will be attending the launch along with several of the contributing poets, said: “After hearing Nottingham had been awarded City of Literature status I wanted to pay tribute to its wonderful past.
“A new poem will be featured on the wall every night and will include work from local and international poets.”
The artwork will feature words from over 100 Nottinghamshire residents including Clifton-born singer Jake Bugg.
Jo said: “When I contacted Jake proposing the idea for the project he was really happy to get involved.
“He chose the line ‘past a thousand crazy eyes’ – which is from his song ‘See It All’ – as he thought this was the most appropriate.
“I am currently working on another project in Nottingham at Loxley House – it’s still a work in progress but hopefully won’t be too long.”
Nottingham City of Literature communications manager Matt Turpin said: “The idea behind the project is to bring light to an area of the city that is normally quite dark.
“We want people to stop and take a moment to appreciate the art, and see how powerful a few words can be.
“We hope the installation will inspire people to look at the history of the poems and find out more about where the words come from.”
