Project set to light up festivals

A PROJECT which will see one of Scotland's best-known landmarks transformed by a vast moving light show every night for three weeks to coincide with the 2012 London Olympics has been given the green light, The Scotsman can reveal.

Edinburgh's festivals have announced their official backing for Speed of Light, which will see Arthur's Seat installed with a lighting system powered by hundreds of volunteers travelling around various routes by foot, on bikes and in wheelchairs.

Different colours would be used depending on the speed the volunteer participants would be travelling at, such as red bursts of light for sprinters, or green trails being made by marathon runners.

Early pledges of funding are thought to have been secured to ensure that the project, expected to cost about 1 million to bring to fruition, can go ahead. It lost out on a 500,000 competition to fund special cultural projects across Britain, but has been revived after Edinburgh International Festival director Jonathan Mills gave his personal backing to the project.

Glasgow-based arts organisation NVA will be working with leading festivals to create a host of lighting effects around the extinct volcano, while each participant would also be fitted with colour-coded lighting equipment to create flowing patterns around the spectacular landscape.

The event is expected to attract huge crowds to Arthur's Seat every night of the Edinburgh International Festival, which is co-ordinating Speed of Light.