the spiral

‘Periplum’s installation was a standout moment of the winter '25 event season, transforming Hartlepool Headland into something quietly powerful and other-worldly. This luminous work traced the shift from darkness to light — subtle, hopeful, and totally captivating against the coastal backdrop. More than an installation — it was a moment.’

The Spiral is a fire installation on an epic scale, built with 2,000 outdoor candles and staged in extraordinary coastal locations and other sites of natural beauty. The flames are lit collectively by members of diverse communities as a magical and ephemeral event accompanied by song and text in multiple languages.

Inspired by symbols brought to ancient Britain by migrants & settlers, Periplum’s fire installation is a temporary memorial to generations of landings and leave-takings throughout history, and a meditative reflection on the changing environment. The installation appears during hours of darkness to be viewed by audiences from an elevated vantage point. Audiences can also navigate their way through the heart of the spiral while listening to specially created, localised text on wireless headphones, bringing intimacy to the spectacle. The recorded soundscape brings together song, ancient and modern languages, poetry and original music, reflecting the heritage of each location.

The installation can be transformed to different configurations and reshaped to different landscapes. It can also be moved from place to place over consecutive nights, adding an extra dimension of wonder as it migrates, appearing and disappearing in different locations.

The Spiral was funded by Arts Council England and has been presented as The Spiral Shore, commissioned by Redcar & Cleveland Borough Council, and Spiral Galaxy, commissioned by Wintertide Festival, Hartlepool. Additional funding from Tees Valley Combined Authority supported local creatives to train and take paid roles in the production.