This evening marks the end of London's first major light festival, Lumiere London, which has seen the capital's iconic architecture transformed with 3D projections, installations and unique light works. The 4 day festival ran from Thursday 14 - Sunday 17 January, every evening from 6.30pm-10.30pm . Produced by Artichoke and supported by the Mayor of London, it has widely been hailed as a success, with works shown in central locations, from Kings Cross, Mayfair, Picadilly, Regent Street and St James's to Trafalgar Square and Westminster. 

My favourite works were Janet Echelman's 1.8 London at Oxford Circus and Patrice Warrener's The Light of the Spirit at Westminster Abbey. 
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​As the final months of 2015 arrived and the year sped towards its final hour, I visited a flurry of participatory art exhibitions across London, all of which had something in common. In a city which constantly churns out exhibitions and events, it was, as ever the immersive shows which won my time and appreciation. The Old Masters never did appeal to me; a child of the times, it has always been Contemporary Art which strikes a chord. 
 
Viewing art is always fascinating on some level, but truly experiencing art is something altogether more memorable. With so much visual stimulation in today’s world, now more than ever it is not enough just to look, we want to get involved. Art which forces the viewer to in some way participate is not new. In the 1960s American artist Bruce Nauman’s ‘Performance Corridor’ forced his viewers to walk down a 20 inch wide corridor, and experience the constraints of space - not too dissimilarly to Höller’s opening corridor in his 2015 ‘Decision’ show, albeit with light rather than space being withheld. Such experiences place the viewer in situations which stimulate the senses and provoke a reaction; this is the artist’s intent.

When the viewer becomes a performer in the work, they are given a role to play in creating its meaning. It is the participation itself which completes this kind of work; unlike a painting which needs no viewer to add the finishing touch, without the viewer participatory art remains incomplete.