Leo Villareal, who lit up the Bay Bridge in San Francisco to popular acclaim, will do the same to 17 bridges along the Thames

This article is more than 3 years old

This article is more than 3 years old

Leo Villareal, the New York artist behind the lighting up of the San Francisco Bay Bridge, has been chosen for a £20m project illuminating London’s 17 bridges.

Villareal and the British architects and urban planners Lifschutz Davidson Sandilands won from a shortlist of six for what is one of the UK’s biggest ever public art commissions.

The scheme will be permanent, taking in 17 bridges over six nautical miles from Tower Bridge in the east to Albert Bridge in the west.

Villareal and his collaborators are proposing a sensitive “rhythm of light” across each bridge, created using computer code which monitors and responds to the ebbs and flows of the river and pedestrians. In a short film on the winning project, London’s bridges are lit up with a changing palette of colour that includes whites, oranges and purples.

The film-maker, novelist and chair of the National Gallery Hannah Rothschild, who dreamed up the project, said Villareal had a proven ability to paint with light and Lifschutz Davidson Sandilands had direct experience building bridges.



Facebook Twitter Pinterest The Royal Victoria Dock Bridge. Photograph: © Leo Villareal and Lifschutz Davidson Sandilands/Chris Gascoigne

“Their scheme is beautiful, ambitious and realisable but always considerate to the environment, lighting levels and energy conservation,” she said.

“The jury is convinced that the winning team will transform the centre of London while remaining true to the spirit and integrity of the Thames and its communities.”

Villareal is best known for his celebrated lighting project on San Francisco’s “other” bridge. It ran for two years and was revived this year as a permanent element of the city because of its popularity.

He said he was “delighted and humbled” that the jury chose his team’s “artistically driven” vision for the Thames. “The whole team shares a belief in the power of large-scale public culture and art to enrich our cities,” he said.

He added that the team would next year take time to study the river and listen to Londoners to develop and nuance the scheme.

“Our aim is for a lighting masterplan which reduces pollution and wasted energy, is sensitive to history and ecology and subtly rebalances the ambient lighting on the river to provide a beautiful night-time experience for residents and visitors.”

Villareal’s submission won from a shortlist of six, which in turn had been whittled down from 105 submissions. One of the schemes that missed out was one led by the architect David Adjaye, which planned to use designs by artists including Chris Ofili, Jeremy Deller, Lorna Simpson and Katharina Grosse.

A central feature of the project is that it will cost the taxpayer nothing. Half the estimated cost has so far been raised – £5m from the Rothschild Foundation, of which Hannah Rothschild is a trustee, and £5m donated by Lisbet Rausing and Peter Baldwin through their charitable Arcadia Fund.



The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, is fully behind the scheme. “We saw an incredible response to this fascinating competition,” he said, “showing that London continues to inspire creatives from around the globe, and is open to all.”