Waulk Mill was originally built in 1824 and was central to the Nort West's textile past. The area and the mill were revitalised by regeneration specialists Urban Splash back in the early 2000s. The efforts to preserve the building’s heritage while creating functional office spaces earned Urban Splash the prestigious RIBA Award for Architecture. Today, Waul Mill is a business and creative industries hub.
This latest addition, commissioned by Artistic Statements for Urban Splash, showcases the building’s entrance with a large-scale, suspended light sculpture which is inspired by the mill’s original spiral staircase. Rousseau, whose work has appeared at Burning Man Festival in Nevada, Arctic Sweden and London’s V&A Museum, designed the piece to complement the building’s industrial aesthetic while drawing attention to its height and history.
The sculpture features precision-engineered aluminium profiles fitted with dynamic RGB LED strips supplied by North West-based Ultra LEDs. The lighting system, powered by pre-programmed DMX decoders which create smooth colour transitions and pulsing animations, transforming the space throughout the day. All materials were selected to match the building’s original fittings, ensuring that this modern feature is smoothly integrated into its environment.
Ultra LEDs who was the supplier for the lighting equipment and provider of the technical expertise behind the installation, working closely with the arts and design teams to meet tight deadlines and navigate the many challenges of the building’s historic architecture. Ultimately, thanks to this local collaboration, the sculpture was built and installed in only two days.
The North West region has seen significant investment in regeneration projects aimed at revitalising urban areas and preserving historical sites. Back in January 2024, the Sunak government had announced a £208 million injection to transform towns and cities across the North, funding a range of projects and granting local leaders new powers to unlock the area's potential. More recently, we have seen indications of a significant commitment from both local authorities and the new Labour government toward regeneration projects in the North West.
In January this year, the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) announced an ambitious ten-year Growth and Prevention Delivery Plan. This strategy aims to deliver regeneration across all ten boroughs, promising growth "at a scale not seen before." The plan focuses on targeted investments to stimulate economic development and improve the local infrastructure.
Ancoats, where Waulk Mill is located, has been a focal point for such regeneration efforts, like many of the old heritage of the Industrial Revolution, the area has undergone a transformation into a futuristic urban village, blending historic architecture with modern developments. Projects like the Waulk Mill light installation exemplify how art and technology can converge to celebrate and rejuvenate the region's rich industrial heritage.