Artist Development

Spark 2025

Spark Artists 2025

The LUTN SPARK programme nurtures and mentors 10 artists interested in working with light. It is a great opportunity for early career artists to develop their practice in light based and digital work for light festivals.

This year our ten successful artists are: Peter Harrison, Lydia Nutter, Jack Sibley, Zhiyan Cai, Natalie Whitney, Dominika Jackowska, Linda Devo, Cameron Lings, Natalie Chan, Scott Chaney

Across 2 weekends in November, we will give our cohort of successful artists support through a specially designed programme of informal workshops, networking events and talks scheduled to complement two LUTN partner festivals – Light Up Lancaster and Nightfall Middlesbrough

Cameron Lings

Cameron Lings is an award-winning emerging contemporary artist and sculptor based in North Yorkshire. Since graduating in 2021, his work has gained international recognition, exhibiting in galleries worldwide and featured in numerous publications.

Cameron has undertaken artist residencies at institutions like Yorkshire Sculpture Park and The BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art, and most recently The Redbarn Artist Residency programme on the Southern Coast of Ireland, fostering his research-based and site-responsive practice. From his Middlesbrough studio, he crafts a distinctive, data-driven sculptural language, transforming statistical and literary information into complex 3D forms. His projects address critical contemporary issues, including climate change, digital culture, and broader environmental and social concerns.
“I’m very much looking forward to connecting with local creatives involved in the programme and engaging with others through its networking events. On a practical level, I’m eager to gain valuable technical insights that will help shape and advance the direction of my artistic practice.”

Lydia Nutter & Jack Sibley, SLAP Collective

SLAP Collective, comprised of creative director and choreographer Lydia Nutter and creative technologist and composer Jack Sibley, combines original music, mobile technology, and live performance with vibrant visuals and humour. Their work spans game and web development, VR, and immersive experiences.

SLAP invites audiences to actively shape their experience using custom apps and responsive sound design, fostering accessible and participatory environments. Their practice champions experimentation and disrupts traditional artist-audience relationships. Recent projects include Crescengo (2024), a location-based musical game, and ALT+R (2024), an immersive digital wellness spa. In 2025, they’ll premiere Bored on the Ward, a music-making game co-created with Blah Theatre and Calderdale Royal Hospital. SLAP’s innovative blend of digital and live performance encourages audiences to touch, move, and co-create.

“We’re really excited to be part of the SPARK programme and to be joining a brilliant cohort of artists exploring light in new and unexpected ways. Our work blends mobile technology, sound, and live gaming and SPARK offers us a chance to push that practice in a new direction. We’re particularly looking forward to learning more about how light-based work is produced and toured and to explore how interactivity, especially through mobile gaming, can enhance light works and audience connection. It’s a brilliant opportunity to grow creatively and connect with others in the field.”

Natalie Chan

Natalie is an award-winning arts fundraiser and producer from Hong Kong, now working in the UK. Her recent theatre producing credits include The Lonesome Death of Eng Bunker and This is Not A Show About Hong Kong (Fringe First Winner). She also served as Associate Producer for Best of Enemies West End.

Driven by a passion for inclusive arts, Natalie was an Innovator and Agent for Change for Artistic Directors of the Future, researching barriers for Global Majority practitioners in leadership. In 2024, she became Executive Director for Streatham Space Project, navigating its closure with responsible financial management and stakeholder care. She now shares this expertise, speaking at international conferences and facilitating producer residencies, aiming to support others in the arts.

“I am excited to be learning and inspired by all things Light Art. I always thought it is an art form that people can more easily stumble across and has huge potential for people to unlock creativity, imagination, so through the workshops and visits I want to get into the nuts and bolts of it. I am looking forward to seeing how some of my skills can potentially be transferred into this part of the sector and also meeting fellow artists.”

Zhiyan Cai

Zhiyan Cai is a London-based digital artist blending her architectural background with projection mapping, moving image, and holographic installations. Her work reimagines Asian mythology and folklore through a contemporary, feminist lens, exploring the intersection of digital technology and cultural memory.

Zhiyan’s pieces often transform unconventional surfaces, inviting audiences to experience narratives through movement and illusion. Notable projects include Dragon & Phoenix, a five-screen LED environment, and Zhongkui, a holographic piece inspired by “wandering gods.” Her collaborative AV performance, Nuwa Mends the Sky, fused traditional Asian music with sci-fi folklore. Her public commission, Cabinet of Curiosity No.2, revealed buried histories through projection-mapped sculpture. She was also an artist-in-residence at arebyte Gallery in 2025.

“I’m most excited about experiencing immersive light-based works up close — not just as finished pieces, but as living encounters between space, audience, and community. I want to observe how light can shape emotion, atmosphere, and connection in real time. It feels magical to witness these “light dreams” come to life — and I’m eager to learn how that magic is made. From creative concept to technical execution, I want to better understand how light festivals are produced, curated, and sustained by collaboration between artists and producers. I’m also thrilled about meeting other talented artists, organisers, and makers. I see SPARK as a rare opportunity to exchange ideas, build creative relationships, and spark future collaborations that extend beyond the programme itself.”

Nat Whitney

Nat Whitney, known as The Overload Project, is an audio-visual participatory artist. They create interactive, sensory experiences using creative technologies, fostering curiosity and play. Their work focuses on social interaction and the balance of chance and control, utilizing physical computing to build accessible spaces for human-technology co-creation.

Driven by a passion for play and collaboration, Whitney employs creative technologies to facilitate authentic participatory experiences, inviting embodied interaction and exploring connections between people and their environment. Beyond their studio, they lead workshops combining creative tech and craft. Whitney is an Associate Artist with Collusion and Magic Acorns, and a resident at Pervasive Media Studio in Bristol.

“What excites me most about the SPARK programme is the rare opportunity to explore both the creative and technical possibilities of incorporating light into participatory art, all within a supportive and collaborative environment. I am especially looking forward to connecting with both experienced and early-career light artists in a space where we can share ideas and learn from each other. I’m also keen to build my knowledge and skills in making, installing, and touring light art, with a focus on making accessible participatory work that engages multiple senses.”

Scott Chaney

Scott Chaney is a multidisciplinary artist from Leeds working with sculpture, installation, painting and murals. His practice focuses on large-scale assemblage using e-waste to create illuminated human figures that explore our relationship with technology and waste.

With a background in painting and a hands-on, intuitive approach, Scott builds each sculpture from the ground up. His latest project, RGB, features three solar-powered figures glowing red, green and blue. They shift between day and night, highlighting both the beauty and toxicity of our throwaway culture.

Scott’s work invites interaction, sparking reflection and play in public space. In 2024, his Tesla light sculpture was exhibited at Bridgewater Place in Leeds. In 2025, he was commissioned by Lightpool Lucent to develop RGB as a new public installation. Shaped by ADHD and dyslexia, Scott embraces process and imperfection, using art to reframe waste and connect with people through light.

“I’m excited about the SPARK programme because it offers support and space to develop my RGB sculptures. I’m looking forward to learning, getting feedback, and connecting with other artists pushing creative boundaries. The chance to show my work publicly and start conversations about tech, waste, and sustainability really motivates me. SPARK feels like the perfect platform to grow creatively and make an

Peter Harrison

Peter, a RADA-trained Lighting Designer who specialises in theatre and events. His extensive theatre credits include The Smeds and the Smoos (West End, UK, and international tours), Pink Mist, and productions for Stafford Festival Shakespeare and Guildford Shakespeare Company. He’s also lit Les Miserables in prisons and Fame in Athens.

His opera designs encompass works for English Touring Opera and Welsh National Youth Opera, while his dance portfolio includes projects for The Royal Ballet and Sadler’s Wells. As an Associate Lighting Designer, Peter has contributed to major productions like Betrayal (West End and Broadway), The Man in the White Suit, and shows at the National Theatre and Sydney Opera House.

“I’m really looking forward to meeting new people through the SPARK programme and to get inside the world of light art. It feels a very exciting place to be at the moment with the fast pace of technology bringing new opportunities and avenues to explore and ways to realise all those ideas that previously weren’t possible. I’m excited to have the chance to speak to existing artists, to pick their brains, to understand the nuts and bolts of the process of creating an installation and learning how to make your creative vision a reality!

Linda Devo

Linda is a multi-talented creative practitioner, producer, and teacher, working collaboratively, in the community, and solo. She uses diverse materials like metal, wood, salvaged plastics, fabric, images, film, and music, and is developing a studio for creating art, products, and teaching.

Her practice blends community projects with personal artistic exploration, focusing on identity, self, and society. As an African, Caribbean, European, norm-divergent individual, her work is shaped by multiple perspectives and a belief in art’s power to address emotional and practical needs. She creates sustainable, playful, and ethical sculptural works, often with human-like qualities, inviting multi-sensory interaction. At its core, her work fosters joy, meaning, and challenges disposable culture through connection.

“Learning about possibilities and exploring these, meeting with peers and fellow artists who are well versed in these technologies who can share their experience, seeing the artworks and asking questions, reflecting on how this can help me develop as an artist.”

Dominika Jackowska

Dominika Jackowska, an Edinburgh-based animator and visual artist, blends storytelling, technology, and play. With expertise in stop-motion, digital animation, and projection mapping, she extends animation beyond screens into physical, interactive spaces.

Her projects span animated films, theatre, and hands-on installations like The Interactive Light Box, a tactile sculpture responsive to light and movement. With a decade of experience and an Animation degree from Edinburgh College of Art, Dominika prioritizes accessibility and curiosity, inviting all ages to engage with animation uniquely. A member of the NEUK Collective, advocating for disabled and neurodivergent artists, her work has been showcased at the V&A Dundee, National Galleries of Scotland, and Edinburgh Science Festival.

“Lately, I’ve been exploring how to make outdoor, interactive installations that are both durable and welcoming to diverse audiences. I’m especially interested in combining light and animation in ways that encourage connection and community engagement. I’m excited to learn how to build stronger, more playful light-based work that can live outdoors and be enjoyed by everyone. I’m also looking forward to experiencing the festival in person, meeting different light artists, networking, and learning more about their creative processes.”