It’s 4 o’clock in the morning. Most of Birmingham, the second most populated city in England, is fast asleep. But like a thief in the dead of night, a solitary figure slips through the city’s deserted streets. Arriving at a derelict warehouse, he is brandishing what looks like a lightsaber as he makes his way to the roof.
Using the resting metropolis as a backdrop, “Sola” draws swift shapes in the air with the light wand. Thirty seconds later, the camera shutter clicks and the light artist grabs his kit, disappearing once more into the night.
Welcome to the elusive, magical world of “lightbombing.”
“Sola” is the street artist alter ego of 40-year-old photographer Peter Medlicott, who has been capturing the urban landscape of Birmingham streets since shortly after relocating there in 2000. Much of the city had become ex-industrial space and Sola recalls how upon first appearances, the city seemed somewhat run down. But a chance late-night shoot revealed the transformative nature of nightfall on the city. What were once dead spaces became a textural stage for the photographer to illuminate.
Meeting in the heart of the city’s creative quarter, Sola greets me warmly before grabbing a coffee and sitting down. Dressed casually in a sweatshirt, jeans and sneakers, his face lights up with enthusiasm as he begins to explain the art of lightbombing.
“I look like a complete nutter”
–
Despite the near freezing temperatures out on city streets tonight, hours fly by as we move from location to location. Finally, after one last shot, Sola makes his way back to the camera, glances at the screen and concludes he’s ready to call it a night. As he flips his tripod and pushes the legs back into the locked position, I ask him where he wants to take the moving art form next.
“A lot of my work is very abstract,” he says. “A lot of my work has that magical element that wondrous thing, but sometimes there is not enough tangibility to it. The Nike campaign was a starting point. But I’d like to up the game, essentially high-end fashion. Do beautiful work with more people in them. I love the abstract work but for my heart (I) need to shoot with people.”
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Phoebe Parke contributed to this story.
