Illuminating York: David Ogle to illuminate The Quad at York St John with canopy of tree lights

“We talked through a couple of contrasting spaces they were commissioning works for, the Shambles street and The Quad at York St John University,” he recalls.

“The Quad stood out because it was versatile and looked interesting, and also I work with universities. I’m coming to the end of PhD in art history in a collaborative project with FACT, the Foundation for Art and Creative Technology, and I do some tutoring for the School of Philosophy in Liverpool too.”

David was attracted to The Quad, at the heart of the university’s old buildings in Lord Mayor’s Walk, by it being “an enclosed space but still within the city centre”.

“You can set that space apart and create a different atmosphere there,” he says, introducing his Lumen installation that will be in place from tomorrow to Saturday.

“I’ve designed tree-like structures that when put together make a canopy. They’re a series of welded steel frames, three and a half metres in diameter and the same in height, where I use lighting in four colours based on something that I did a couple of years ago in the tunnels underneath Waterloo station.

“That was a really amazing space, where the idea was to travel underground and discover all these interlocking tunnels, with an installation made of drinking straws threaded together with fluorescent light running through them.”

David chose the colours green, yellow, orange and violet for their particularly fluorescent hue and will employ them again after their impact at Waterloo station, this time using a material for the lighting called neonflex, whose plastic coating makes it really flexible for bending.

David Ogle's Lumen, in preparation at his studio

“Within the tunnels, the space was gritty and grimy, all bricks, mouldy walls and water on the ground, but having these really vivid neon colours in there meant they really jumped out against that backdrop and they will now create the same effect in The Quad, which otherwise will be dark.”

An additional component to David’s installation will be a recorded soundscape combined with live music. “I’ve been collaborating with the university music department,” he says.

“We had a few initial ideas with me sending some audio files that I felt would gel with the work, and the tutors sent back sounds that will accompany students performing live each night.

“Different students, playing different instruments, will be improvising music each night to go with the droning chords that the tutors have worked on, so there will be something constantly changing throughout the installation. This is the way to keep it agile.”

Illuminating York runs from October 26 to 29. Lumen will light up from 6pm to 10pm each night; admission is free. For the full festival programme, visit illuminatingyork.org.uk