Panopticons - Halo
Panopticon - Halo overlooking Haslingden, Rossendale, Lancashire.
Designed by John Kennedy of LandLab, Halo is an 18m-diameter steel lattice structure supported on a tripod five metres above the ground. The core is open at the top, framing views of the sky. The steelwork has a natural silver appearance, which will temper to matt as the galvanised finish weathers. A unique feature of this Panopticon is that it is lit after dark and glows a sky-blue colour, giving the effect of hovering above the town. The lighting, using low-energy LEDs and powered by an adjacent wind turbine, is designed to minimise light pollution and avoid any disruption to wildlife.
Halo is positioned to be clearly visible from the M66 and A56 approach to Pennine Lancashire.
There are two videos about Halo. The first is the official documentary of the project - view here. The second was made by pupils of All Saints Catholic High School and documents their experiences in the weeks leading up to the launch - view here.
The Launch Event
WildWorks, a company that creates theatre that is directly connected to place and the people of that place and who have produced spectacular large-scale community events all over Europe were commissioned to arrange a launch event for Halo. WildWorks always work with communities, often with people who have never been involved with theatre or performance before. For this event they worked with the local community in Rossendale, gathering people's memories, stories and ideas to create a unique happening which involved colourful processions and music and culminated in the inaugural lighting of Halo as dusk fell.
