Edinburgh Napier University

  Kirkwall is the capital town of the Orkney Islands. It has a population of around 8,500 people, but Orkney has over 140,000 visitors every year. The majority of visitors are in the summer months and January and February each account for only 2% of the total.
At 59° North, Kirkwall has long hours of daylight in the summer and short days in the winter. This extended period of darkness offers a unique opportunity.
The project will make creative use of the darkness by harnessing innovative lighting and projection to dramatically enhance the darkest time of year. The first aim would be to encourage local residents to come into the centre of the town at a time of year when the high street tends to be quiet. A longer-term aim is to further raise the international profile of Kirkwall through the creation of a festival of pioneering artistic lighting designs.