Meet the Light Artist: Hannah Whittaker
Hannah Whittaker is a London-based artist who brings communities together through playful, immersive projects that spark curiosity, creativity, and connection. Working across installation, light, animation, and workshops, she blends hands-on craft with digital tools to create experiences that are both intuitive and memorable. For Light Up Kilburn, Hannah will collaborate with local residents to co-create the Bioluminescent Garden, a glowing tapestry of UV flowers inspired by Kilburn’s streets, green spaces, and local stories. We spoke with Hannah about her creative process and plans for Light Up Kilburn in the interview below.
How did you get started as a light artist?
My background is in theatre and performance, and while I was at university I began experimenting with video and projection within live work. Over time, projection became less of a supporting element and more of a central material, which naturally led me into installation-based practice.
How does your work connect to the Light Up Kilburn 2026 themes of biodiversity and women’s safety?
The Bioluminescent Garden is about reimagining an environment that can feel threatening or unwelcoming after dark, and asking what is needed to make it feel inviting instead. It draws on ideas of harmony, care, and the sharing of light and life. Through workshops, people have written messages and stories about the park — moments of connection, comfort, and joy — and these personal reflections now glow within the garden, turning individual experiences into a shared, luminous landscape.
“There’s always a sense of liveness in my work, an awareness of the audience moving through it, activating it, and completing it through their presence.”
What can visitors expect from your piece at the festival?
Visitors are invited to stroll, wander, and explore at their own pace. The glowing flowers line a pathway through the park, gently guiding people forward while encouraging them to slow down, read the messages, and take in the details. It’s a calm, reflective experience.
What materials or techniques are you using, and why?
The flowers are made from plastic tubing, foam, and wire, illuminated using UV light. I usually work with more recyclable or low-impact materials, but for this version durability is essential, as the work needs to withstand outdoor conditions and be reused in future iterations.
“Workshops are central to my process, the garden is shaped as much by the people who contribute to it as by the materials themselves.”
What do you anticipate will be the biggest challenge of creating your work outdoors?
The biggest challenge is the unpredictability of the weather. The flowers are securely installed, but outdoor conditions always bring an element of uncertainty. That said, working outside also brings a vitality and openness that feels completely right for this piece.
What impact do you hope your work will have on the community, and how can locals get involved?
I hope the work encourages people to feel a sense of care and connection to the park and to one another, especially after dark. Locals can get involved through workshops where they can make flowers, contributing messages, memories, and reflections that become part of the installation itself. In that way, the garden becomes a collective expression of the community shaped by many voices.
Workshops 13th February: 12:00-13:30 | 16:30-18:00 | 18:30-20:00
“Light is such a beautiful and versatile medium.”
What are you most looking forward to at Light Up Kilburn?
Seeing the space transformed and experiencing how other artists use light across the site. Every light festival I attend shows me something new, whether that’s a technical approach or an unexpected emotional response.
One word to describe Light Up Kilburn?
Illuminating.
