Peter Murray talks to director of the Illuminated River Foundation Sarah Gaventa about the work of light artist Leo Villareal, renowned for his light sculptures and long track record, including The Bay Lights in San Fransisco. 

The Illuminated River project involves lighting bridges right across central London. Four of them have already been completed with five more on track for spring this year, with the aim of making the Thames a more enjoyable public space. Sarah talks about the need to increase visibility of the Thames, and improve on accessibility, with 1 in 10 Londoner having never even seen the river.

Sarah continues; 'following on from the Covid-19 pandemic, the public must demand a different approach to public-spaces in our city. I would really like it if the public lobbied for parks and green spaces to be protected and more welcoming'. 

Conversation moved onto The Mayor’s new Public London Charter, which aims to ensure London's spaces are accessible, inclusive, attractive, well-connected and easy to understand, but Sarah thinks more work has to be done.