Calton Hill light show urges residents to vote

Calton Hill was the site of a spectacular light show. Picture: Craig Robertson/mclcreate

Edinburgh was treated to a breath-taking light show as one of the city’s most iconic landmarks formed the backdrop of a high-profile plea for people to use their vote.

Using the latest projection mapping techniques, artists working with event company mclcreate projected striking light displays onto the National Monument on Calton Hill.

The company is more used to running business events, but managing director Tim Spencer said: “The general election is quite possibly the greatest event of all, and we wanted to mark it in a new way that would engage the public.

“We chose Scotland because people here are really energetic and excited about having their say. We wanted to capture that mood and do our bit to spread it across the board.”

The artwork is a dynamic light pattern, starting with a few triangles and rapidly multiplying into a mass of dazzling shapes and colours.

The National Monument, seen as Scotland’s answer to the Greek Parthenon, was chosen for its link to the birthplace of democracy.

The project was in collaboration with Projector Club, headed up by Edinburgh street artist and mclcreate manager Ross Blair.

Mr Blair said: “Democracy is increasingly going digital. We’ve seen throughout this election how ordinary people are using social media and the internet to make their views heard.

“You could look at this digital art projection as an illustration of that trend.”