Ai Weiwei for Liverpool Biennial
The artist Ai Weiwei is renowned for taking everyday, familiar objects and translating them into large scale iconic installation pieces.
In this instance it was a chrystal chandelier spider on a web, complete with LED lighting along the web and spider. The 19 metre high structure needed to span Exchange Flags, the largest pedestrianised square in Liverpool, as part of the city’s Biennial Festival. Arup Lighting appointed J & J Carter to construct the 'web'.
J & J Carter constructed the ‘web’ using 400 metres of stainless steel cables, to which LED lighting was added. The web spans the width and length of the city’s Exchange Flags square and took less than 4 weeks to complete, with J & J Carter taking the challenges of carrying out works in the heavily pedestrianised area in their stride. The ‘Web of Light’ is now the latest in a show-stopping series of cultural events taking place in Liverpool.
The 'Web of Light' won the Special Projects prize at the 2009 Lighting Awards.
"From a design point of view this was an extremely challenging piece of engineering design and we had to have complete confidence in the manufacture and erection - which we did get from J & J Carter. Also the programme was incredibly tight and from when we first approached them very late in the day they did deliver to the project deadlines." Arup Spokesperson.
