Architecture and place —
Illuminated River — transforming the Thames
Illuminating the Thames and telling the world
Spanning nine bridges and more than three miles, Illuminated River is both a celebration of the history of London’s bridges, and the world’s longest public artwork.
For seven years, from the initiative’s inception, Caro Communications steered a wide-ranging communications campaign around this artwork on behalf of the Illuminated River Foundation (IRF). This included strategic planning, holistic PR and press office management, digital and social media management, and the coordination of launch events.
Targeting local and global audiences, we achieved 900+ pieces of press coverage (34m circulation) plus, during the campaign’s peak, 2.5m impressions on IRF’s social channels per year
Collaboration and community
Collaborating with more than 50 stakeholders including local user groups, heritage and ecology bodies, public and private funders, corporate partners, London boroughs and bridge owners, we supported on the public consultation during the project’s planning application phase, including 30 planning permissions and 18 listed building consents.
Throughout the campaign, we worked closely with the project’s creative team, raising the profile of internationally acclaimed artist Leo Villareal, architects Lifschutz Davidson Sandilands and environmental and lighting designers Atelier Ten.
Milestone moments
Between 2018 and 2021 Caro identified and approached additional partners including UNESCO, Google Arts & Culture, VocalEyes, Mind and the Guildhall School of Music & Drama, which resulted in a unique collaboration to commission new music inspired by the artwork.
From 2021, Caro continued to drive key messaging, encouraging the public to spend time along the river and creating social media highlights included a campaign with up-and-coming poet Tife Kusoro. This involved the commission of a poem and film about the Illuminated River artwork.
