American artist Yvette Mattern's Global Rainbow was switched on at St Mary's Headland in North Tyneside. The light installation celebrates the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad in the north-east of England.

The seven beams of light represent the colours of the rainbow and are intended to symbolise hope and stretch about 8 km (5 miles).

The Global Rainbow has previously lit up the skies of Germany, France and the United States and was initially created to celebrate Martin Luther King Day on 19 January 2009.

Regional director for the Arts Council England Alison Clark-Jenkins said: "This is just a taste of what's to come over the course of what is set to be a groundbreaking year for culture in the North East."

The lasers are seen here in South Shields - about 10 miles from their base at St Mary's Headland in North Tyneside.