PROJECTS > TREE OF LIGHT - CULTURAL OLYMPIAD
The Tree of Light was commissioned as part of the London Cultural Olympiad through Legacy Trust UK’s Community Celebrations programme. Conceived as a large-scale outdoor performance, the project brought together communities alongside the Olympic celebrations. At its centre stood a 50ft industrial structure surrounded by 1,200 performers and a choir of 450. The creative team, under the artistic direction of Stewart Collins (Henley Festival), included Block9, composer Orlando Gough, choreographer Charlie Morrissey and ELECTRIC PEDALS. ELECTRIC PEDALS engineered and delivered the human-powered system that illuminated the structure. Twenty-eight bicycle and rowing generators were embedded within the Tree, supplying live electricity to the LED lighting array throughout the performance. The production formed part of a wider exploration of the science and art of trees, using large-scale performance to examine humanity’s relationship with the natural world in a technological age. Tree of Light culminated in a powerful community spectacle. A monumental structure, powered visibly by people, became both stage and statement — collective effort transformed directly into light.
Installation
50ft industrial Tree structure forming the centrepiece of a large-scale outdoor performance
28 bicycle and rowing generators integrated within the structure
Human-generated electricity powering the Tree’s LED lighting array live during performance
Installed within a complex performance environment involving 1,200 performers and a 450-voice choir
Delivered in collaboration with the wider creative team under the artistic direction of Stewart Collins
Impact
Visible human effort directly transformed into monumental light
Collective power mirrored the scale of the community performance
Created a striking visual statement at the heart of the Cultural Olympiad
Outcome
Demonstrated scalability of human-powered systems at civic spectacle scale
Positioned human-generated energy as both infrastructure and narrative device
Contributed to a landmark community celebration within the London Cultural Olympiad