Durham’s Lumiere festival was a beacon of hope and togetherness – we cannot let the lights go out on the rest of the arts

The UK’s culture sector needs financial, political and public support to survive. Funding is not a ‘favour’. It is an investment in imagination, in our shared experience – and in inspiration and joyDurham is a small, beautiful city in the north-east of England that sits in a region of rising poverty and inequality. About 45,000 people, a cathedral, a castle, a university and streets that glow every two years when the Lumiere festival fills them with light and art.Since 2009, Lumiere has brought more than 250 artists from across the world to work in this extraordinary city. Ai Weiwei in the Cathedral’s Chapter House. Fujiko Nakaya on the riverbank. Chila Kumari Singh Burman in the market square. The festival has reached more than 1.3 million people, drawn £43m into the local economy, and involved nearly 14,000 people in community projects. It worked because it was free, exciting and good. A rare combination. Continue reading...

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