The Northern Lights have been brought to Birmingham through activist Dan Archer’s visual and audible creation, which projects the Aurora Borealis onto the sky.

Archer’s ‘Borealis’ is a large-scale technological innovation that simulates the beauty of the Northern Lights anywhere in the world, having been displayed in ‘40 cities across Europe, Australia, Asia, and the US’. It has now arrived at St Martin’s in Birmingham.

Amy, a second-year English literature student, remarked, ‘The lights were beautiful, and the backdrop of the church made them really majestic.’

The installation creates ever-changing images by shining lights into the clouds, and the free display was available each evening from February 9th to 18th, accessible to everyone. This was paired with a custom score by French composer Guillaume Desbois.

However, the illusion depends largely on the conditions present each night, such as temperature, rain, and wind, which affect the results. This unpredictability captures Archer’s intent, as the performance is heavily reliant on external factors beyond our control, encouraging us to ‘come together, beyond our differences, in the face of something far greater than us’.

Dan Archer, a climate change activist from Switzerland, merges artwork and engineering to address critical contemporary issues. He ‘uses cities as playgrounds in which citizens of all backgrounds can connect’. Through his installations, viewable on his website, Archer aims to evoke awe and promote communal introspection.

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