Johnathan Turner

South Bank Zone

18. Butterflies

Artist: Emergency Exit Arts (UK)

The Tetley, Aire Park, Hunslet Road, LS10 1JQ
W3W: arts.plank.skirt
OUTDOOR | LED | PUPPETS

Performances at 6pm-6.45pm, 7pm-7.45pm 8pm-8.45pm

Look out for four enormous butterflies roaming freely through Aire Park. Lit from within by glowing LEDs, these spectacular puppets float, turn and dance among the crowds to their own musical soundtrack. Their brilliant wings bring colour and movement to the night, inviting visitors to follow their journey and experience a close encounter with nature on a larger-than-life scale. Playful, radiant and full of character, Butterflies transforms the park into a magical habitat for visitors of all ages.

19. FloWeЯ PoWeЯ

Artist: Aérosculpture (Jean-Pierre David and Christian Thellier) (France)

The Tetley, Aire Park, Hunslet Road, LS10 1JQ
W3W: cube.frozen.study
HYPNOTIC | PSYCHEDELIC | MECHANIC

Watch light bloom into enormous digital flowers as spinning LEDs create circles, spirals and radiant flashes in the darkness. FloWeЯ PoWeЯ combines digital technology and electromechanics with persistence of vision, the effect that allows rapidly moving points of light to appear as complete forms. The machinery seems to disappear, leaving luminous traces suspended in the night. Inspired by experiments with the rings of Saturn, the installation pairs hypnotic movement with mechanical rhythms and a responsive soundtrack. Psychedelic yet contemplative, it offers a joyful garden of light dedicated to peace and connection.

20. Aftereal

Artist: Yasuhiro Chida (Japan)

The Tetley, Aire Park, Hunslet Road, LS10 1JQ
W3W: mice.bronze.rungs
OUTDOOR | TRANQUIL | MOVEMENT

Watch a luminous landscape ripple before your eyes as hundreds of fluorescent threads rise, fall and shimmer in ultraviolet light. Driven by small motors, the elastic lines move in waves, leaving fleeting traces that seem to hover in the darkness like drawings made with a sparkler. Japanese artist Yasuhiro Chida uses this simple combination of material, movement and light to play with perception, revealing how our eyes and brain construct what we see. Hypnotic and ever-changing, Afterreal invites you to slow down, look closely and question where reality ends and illusion begins.

In partnership with Great British Sasakawa Foundation and Daiwa Foundation. Sponsored by Aire Park

21. I want ur hands on me (unrequited)

Artist: K Walker (UK)

The Attic, 3 Sheaf Street, LS10 1HD
W3W: clues.proven.winter
QUEER | SCULPTURE | DANCE

Enter a hazy nightclub where a lone dancer moves through sculpture, sound and shifting light. Leeds-based artist K Walker draws on personal experiences of queer club spaces to explore the complicated emotions held within them. Joy, freedom and connection sit alongside loneliness and unrequited desire as the performer navigates a club-inspired sound work. Intimate and atmospheric, I want ur hands on me (unrequited) invites visitors to reflect on their own relationship with nightlife and the feelings that can surface when we gather, dance and search for connection.

A Yorkshire Contemporary commission, with support from Yorkshire Dance.

22. Sea of Change: Sea de Change

Artist: Mama Dread's Masqueraders and DOMA (UK)

Hibiscus Rising, Aire Park, Meadow Lane, LS11 5BJ
W3W: stem.comical.card
DYNAMIC | INTERACTIVE | JOYOUS

Performances at 6.30pm, 7.30pm and 8.30pm

Each performance lasts approximately 30 minutes

Inspired by protecting and healing our environment, reducing waste and creative recycling we use dance and carnival arts to inspire our audience to think about current environmental damage, consider the impact of capitalism and colonialism on our natural world, and see a future we can create together that respects and heals our world. Our performances take place at the beautiful Hibiscus Rising sculpture by Yinka Shonibare, where we celebrate the rich diversity of Leeds' heritage and present a hopeful future with the Remember Oluwale Charity.

In partnership with Harrison Bundey, Sanctuary Got Talent, Coop Academy and Community Lottery Awards for All Funding.