Nocturne: Lighting Up The River Tyne
Author: Beverley Bukowski

Nocturne or `The Light on the Tyne' is a colorful light
artwork, which is on Newcastle's Queen Elizabeth II Bridge.

The Queen Elizabeth II Bridge carries the Tyne and Wear Metro
across the River Tyne, between Newcastle and Gateshead. It was
purpose-built to form a part of the Tyne and Wear public
transport network at a cost of £4.9million. The queen officially
opened the bridge in 1981, although it had already been in use
for some time.

Since 1980, Nexus, operators of the Tyne and Wear Metro, has
been commissioning artwork to improve their customer's public
transport experience. In 2006, they commissioned Nayan Kulkarni
to install Nocturne, a huge artwork on the bridge. As the River
Tyne's Millennium Bridge, Tyne Bridge, High Level and Swing
Bridges were already illuminated, it was decided that this
artwork should light up the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge too.

After observing the water below the bridge, Kulkarni decided to
use colour-changing lights on Nocturne. He said: "Like the
slowly moving waters below the steelwork, I wanted to create a
light work that would constantly change."

To light the bridge, Nocturne uses 36 banks of LED lights,
which are set within the steel structure of the bridge itself.
Kulkarni decided to use LED lights, as they are compact, long
lasting and energy efficient. In fact, the LEDs that illuminate
Nocturne use less energy in a year than the amount used by an
average British family.

Nocturne or `The Light on the Tyne' is a colorful light
artwork, which is on Newcastle's Queen Elizabeth II Bridge.

The Queen Elizabeth II Bridge carries the Tyne and Wear Metro
across the River Tyne, between Newcastle and Gateshead. It was
purpose-built to form a part of the Tyne and Wear public
transport network at a cost of £4.9million. The queen officially
opened the bridge in 1981, although it had already been in use
for some time.

For Nocturne, the bridge was painted with two distinctive
shades of blue, which meant that the artwork could also be
enjoyed during the day. However, it is during the evening that
Nocturne really comes alive, as the bridge is bathed in a
kaleidoscope of colored lights. The colors of the bridge's LED
lights were based on photographs submitted by members of the
public and this has given Kulkarni's artwork a real community
focus.

Since 1980, Nexus, operators of the Tyne and Wear Metro, has
been commissioning artwork to improve their customer's public
transport experience. In 2006, they commissioned Nayan Kulkarni
to install Nocturne, a huge artwork on the bridge. As the River
Tyne's Millennium Bridge, Tyne Bridge, High Level and Swing
Bridges were already illuminated, it was decided that this
artwork should light up the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge too.

Following its completion on 26 April 2007, Nocturne became the
biggest light artwork in Britain and is expected to remain on
the bridge for at least 15 years. Nocturne took 18 months to
install and cost £300,000 to create, but when you see the bridge
lit up in all of its glory, you'll realise that it was worth
every penny.


About The Author: Beverley Bukowski Website:
http://www.escortnewcastlekirsten.co.uk Beverley Bukowski is a
former model from Newcastle, UK. She is a keen amateur
journalist and used to be a Newcastle escort.