Funding For Local Artists Announced As Part Of BD: Is LIT

Bradford Council is delighted to announce the four local artists who have been successful in bidding for funds to create innovative new light art projects and installations which will be displayed in Bradford City Centre as part of BD: is LIT 2025.

The festival returns for the third time in 2025 with the ambition to light up the city centre streets, celebrating the Bradford district in its UK City of Culture year. Since 2021, BD: is LIT has welcomed over 50,000 people to incredible light installations across the district.

The successful artists were invited to respond to the theme of ‘The Colour of Light’ to develop projects that are unique to Bradford and with national relevance.

Each commission is worth between £5,000 to £7,500, to light up our new public realm work within the city.

The successful artists were:

• Nicola Murray - Listening Lights

Listening Lights combines light, sound, and storytelling. Inspired by the Japanese Wind Phone, where people continue conversations with loved ones who have died, this thoughtful installation invites participants to step inside a softly illuminated, soundproof telephone booth and speak words of love, memory, and celebration into a telephone handset.

• Cat Scott - Flow (of the Broad Ford)

See Bradford's hidden Broad Ford flowing through Market Street once more, as Cat Scott MRSS brings the beck back above ground in her mirage-like ephemeral installation, Flow (of the Broad Ford). This inspiring piece encourages reflection on the interconnected role water plays in our daily lives, the climate and our wellbeing.

• The Leap - BD Dazzler

A fun, fusion of traditional Pakistani art forms with contemporary lighting design, The Leap put vehicles front and centre with their illuminated tuk-tuk and van.

• Light Fall is a collaboration between Naomi Parker, freelance designer, maker and performer and Rachel Hyde, director of stilt walking company Chicks on Sticks.
  Light Fall is a beautiful new walkabout act with a specially composed soundtrack by local composer Dan McGlade with two performers, one on stilts and the other ground based.
  Inspired by the mirror pool in Bradford’s City Park it is an explosion of light, music and colour, bringing family fun to BD: is LIT.

Cllr Sarah Ferriby, Bradford Council’s Executive Member for Healthy People said: “Our local artists have risen to the challenge and designed some amazing interactive, fun and innovative light creations that can be viewed and enjoyed by a range of audiences. We are delighted to be able to fund these artists so they can take part in BD: is LIT which is one of the highlights of Autumn.”