As I wandered up to the cathedral, it looked as striking as it did on any other night. The only clues to reveal the awesome experience hidden within its walls were the glimpses of purple-tinted light permeating through a couple of the windows and a queue of curious visitors curving from the entrance.
My group was soon greeted and waved through the doors. Immediately we were enticed further inside by the colour which flooded across the surfaces of the cathedral. I was struck by the harmonising of light and sound which perfectly complimented the cathedral’s breathtaking architecture through ever-changing visual displays.
The depictions shifted in theme depending on which direction you looked. Sometimes it was fabulous colour painted across the cathedral’s windows which caught your eye, sometimes it was the images of birds skimming over its walls, or hypnotising patterns weaving past one another. There was eye candy at every angle, with arches lit from beneath and displays cast on both walls and windows.
The crowd was reduced to quiet chatter, if not awestruck silence. Words were spoken ever so quietly between friends as if they were trying not to break the magic of the experience. Fingers pointed at the art of the lights with a desperation and disbelief that said: “Look over here! No, look over there!”, and phones were outstretched to record each gorgeous and ephemeral sight through photos and videos. I was not unique, being almost completely absorbed in capturing these spectacles too so that I could eagerly share them with my family, who always love seeing what I get up to when I’m at uni, and to pass to my friends to encourage them to visit the show for themselves!
After about forty minutes of meandering through the cathedral, it was like coming out of a dream to step back out onto Palace Green and into the real world. I was already reaching for my phone again to scroll back through my camera roll and relive every step and every glance. It was an amazing evening, and just one of the many events that you can attend in Durham!
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