A large-scale light installation created from recycled Perspex letters to simply spell ‘We Shine Portsmouth’ and lit with led neon lights as a tribute to the communities and sense of spirit and pride which resides within the city. The letters will be designed and decorated by 2 local artists to reflect sea life and our relationship with the sea and a fun tribute to Portsmouth’s unique local dialect. You’ll be surprised by how many words you recognise.

Artist Bio:

Mick is renowned for creating large scale installations fusing light, material and structure to welcome audiences into extraordinary worlds of colour. His first art commission from Artichoke for Lumiere Durham 2011 allowed him to combine a wealth of design, build and technical experience learnt from years of work in the building and music industry with an artistic vision capable of beautifying waste with light.

An alliance with the international Charity Litre of Light in 2013 saw Mick showcase the artistic potential of the humble plastic bottle, then again in 2015 to recreate

the iconic Rose Window in the Cathedral cloisters as a testament to his enduring ambition to master the material and light for Lumiere Durham.

Such demonstrations of creative flair and technical ability have allowed Mick to carve out a career as a full-time artist with standout work for Enchanted Parks, Kendal Calling, Sunderland illuminations, E-Luminate Cambridge, Lumiere London, Canary Wharf and Staithes Festival to name but a few.

More recently Mick has been working on an installation highlighting the growing problem of plastic waste in the ocean.

Two other artists also worked on the project to decorate the installation:

What’s The Point Creations

Natalie set up What’s The Point Creations 4 years ago, starting out as a dot-work artist, evolving into more colour works and now exploring larger mural pieces. She has been incredibly humbled by the support from Portsmouth during local markets with Love Southsea, The Traders Keep and previous collaborations with Portsmouth Creates. Art is her escape and passion and she says she owes it all to our incredible diverse natural world. Natalie’s aim is to inspire others to see this beauty and to encourage its preservation.

The Frustrated Creative

Holly Milner a.k.a The Frustrated Creative is an internationally published Photographer, Designer, and Artist. With a degree in Industrial Project Design, and having studied Graphics, Calligraphy and Fine Art, Holly has discovered her true love to be Signwriting and the ‘endangered art’ of Reverse Glass Gilding.

Holly now resides in Southsea, Hampshire with her two children, and spends most of her waking hours thinking about what she can gild with gold leaf next, and is it possible to own too many paintbrushes?