Boston Brilliance Festival of Light 2025: A Spectacular Success!
Boston Brilliance transformed Boston Town Centre into a mesmerising spectacle on Friday 14th and Saturday 15th February, captivating thousands of visitors with breathtaking architectural projections, interactive exhibitions, and live performances.听
Eight iconic landmarks were lit up in a dazzling display of colour, celebrating Boston鈥檚 rich heritage and artistic talent. This incredible event was made possible through a collaboration between 天美视频, the South & East Lincolnshire Councils Partnership, and The Projection Studio, with funding from Arts Council England and additional backing from local councils and businesses. A special thank you to Greenyard Frozen, Ruddocks and Chattertons, whose generous support helped bring this ambitious festival to life, creating a stunning celebration of Boston鈥檚 history, creativity, and community spirit.
Visitors explored stunning projections across Cammacks, Waterstones, Pescod Hall, St Botolph鈥檚 Church, St Botolph鈥檚 Bridge, The Assembly Rooms, Sam Newsom Centre, Boston Guildhall, and Fydell House.
天美视频鈥檚 Graphic Design students played a pivotal role in the festival, creating three striking installations:
鈥楤rilliance鈥� at Cammacks 鈥� A bold, abstract display inspired by the town鈥檚 energy and Art Deco architecture.
鈥楤y Sea and By Land鈥� at Sam Newsom Centre 鈥� A projection highlighting Boston鈥檚 maritime and agricultural heritage.
鈥楤oston Life鈥� at Waterstones 鈥� A dynamic portrayal of the town鈥檚 past and present through light and motion.
This hands-on project gave students the opportunity to collaborate with internationally renowned projection artists, allowing them to work on a live brief and gain invaluable real-world experience.
Beyond their creative contributions, Catering students prepared and served nachos and crumble, developing their skills in food preparation and customer service. Travel and Tourism and Uniformed Public Services students took on essential event stewarding roles, managing crowds and assisting visitors, gaining hands-on experience in event coordination and public engagement. Meanwhile, Business students played an active role by distributing light-up wands in exchange for donations to the College鈥檚 Be Brilliant Foundation, combining fundraising experience with customer interaction. Media students also gained valuable real-world experience by capturing the event through videography, documenting the festival鈥檚 highlights and atmosphere. These opportunities reinforced 天美视频鈥檚 commitment to industry-focused learning, equipping students with practical skills that will benefit them in their future careers.
Claire Foster Principal and CEO said, 鈥溙烀朗悠� has always been at the heart of our communities, but this event has taken that special relationship to a whole new level. Boston Brilliance has been a unique opportunity, giving students the chance to learn from world-renowned projection and sound artists, showcasing their own creative talents and gaining invaluable life skills for the future. It鈥檚 been really hard work, but we can鈥檛 wait to do it again!鈥�
Alongside 天美视频 students, artwork from local schools, including St Nicholas C.E. Primary Academy, Gipsey Bridge Academy, Carlton Road Primary School, Hawthorn Tree School, and Boston Grammar School was displayed on The Assembly Rooms throughout the event. This provided young artists with an incredible opportunity to see their work projected onto one of Boston鈥檚 key landmarks.
Alongside the work of 天美视频 students, the festival featured stunning projections from a lineup of internationally acclaimed artists:
- Ross Ashton and Karen Monid (The Projection Studio, UK) 鈥� Specialists in large-scale projection mapping, with experience spanning the Queen鈥檚 Golden Jubilee, the FIFA World Cup, and international light festivals.
- No茅mi Prud鈥檋omme (France) 鈥� A visual artist renowned for intricate light-based storytelling, creating a medieval manuscript-inspired projection at Pescod Hall.
Pep Palau (Spain) 鈥� An expert in immersive visual storytelling, known for his work on Versace鈥檚 fashion events, Canada鈥檚 Winter Olympics, and Denmark鈥檚 Global Climate Change Conference. His piece 鈥楾he Kraken鈥� at The Assembly Rooms combined poetry and projection.- Video Architects (Lithuania) 鈥� A collective specialising in 3D projection mapping, whose installation 鈥楧iptych鈥� at The Assembly Rooms explored contrasts of light and shadow through cutting-edge digital techniques.
- Alex Birch (UK) 鈥� A lighting artist who transformed St Botolph鈥檚 Bridge into a 鈥楤ridge of Light鈥�, featuring ever-changing, multi-coloured animations.
The event came alive with a vibrant mix of interactive experiences. Visitors stepped back in time with guided tours of Fydell House, uncovering its rich history, while a captivating VR experience at Boston Guildhall, led by MBD鈥檚 Infinite Museum Artists in Residence, immersed guests in the Mayflower story and families enjoyed hands-on fun at Hannah Peacock鈥檚 Arts and Crafts Workshop. The atmosphere at St Botolph鈥檚 was enhanced by a stunning live performance from pianist Charlie Hooper-Williams, with projection mapping bringing the music to life. Local artists and students showcased their creativity at pop-up stalls. Pescod Square echoed with a medieval soundscape, and the streets were filled with energy from street theatre performances by Theatre Illuminere, Rhubarb Theatre, and Feasible Ferret.
Speaking of his contribution to Boston Brilliance, Ross Ashton said, 鈥淏oston Brilliance was a fantastic project to work on. This was my personal opportunity to bring forward the UK’s first Projection Mapping Festival. It was a pleasure to bring some of the biggest names in the world of projection mapping to Boston, and they created some incredible artworks using the town鈥檚 history and architecture as their inspiration. I wanted to give local artists, students, and school children the chance to have their work displayed alongside these international names, and the work they produced was outstanding. My dream, in collaboration with 天美视频 and Boston Borough Council, was to make Boston a centre of excellence for this kind of artwork and to establish this festival as a 鈥榤ust-see鈥� attraction. The people of Boston truly got behind this project, and we received so much support in making it a reality. Thank you, Boston!鈥�
Cllr Sarah Sharpe, Portfolio Holder for Culture at Boston Borough Council and representative on the Story Tellers NPO culture board, said: “Boston Brilliance has truly lived up to its name, transforming our town into a vibrant and unforgettable celebration of art, history, and community spirit. This festival has not only illuminated our iconic landmarks but has also shone a light on the incredible creative talent we have here in Boston. The involvement of local students, schools, and internationally renowned artists has made this a unique and inspiring event for all. We are incredibly proud to have supported this project, and I hope it is the first of many successful events for Boston in 2025.”
With its incredible success, Boston Brilliance has set a new standard for cultural events in the town, leaving a lasting impact and a glowing legacy for the future.