‘Light at the end of the tunnel’, also known as “Urban Music” or “Light” is an interesting take how to turn what was a dark, badly lit and an unsafe thoroughfare to a safe, welcoming and impressive entrance to the busiest English railway outside of London. The cutting edge sound and light installation is situated in the tunnel of Neville Street, Leeds.
The redesigned 4.6m ‘Light’ Neville Street tunnel incorporates a unique light and sound installation, forming a contemporary gateway into the city. Also the tunnel utilised both local Leeds-based graphic designer Andy Edward, and international Berlin-based sound & light artist Hans Peter Kuhn to transform the previously unwelcoming tunnel which links the city centre with the south of the city.
The scheme aims to improve pedestrian safety and experience after transforming the tunnel for both pedestrians and drivers. The improvements include widening the footpaths, reducing the ambient noise, enhancing the lighting and creating interest with a unique sound & light installation.
The design integrates Kuhn feature of thousands of LED lights that generate a random pattern on the east wall each day with the installation on the west wall that creates the illusion of movement by Edwards, that is also partly designed to increase the drivers’ awareness of speed when entering the tunnel to the city.
I feel the installation envisions my ethos of transforming the negative space under a bridge into a safer, sensory space where the public will dwell. Enabling the space to be notice and seen instead of passing through as a means to get from point of A to B.
Jessica Taylor-Tibbott 