
Crowds enjoyed a unique night time experience when historic Tintern Abbey was brought to life by a new art commission.
The Abbey was lit up with light, sound, fire and the buzz of thousands of people in the latest transformative event to be delivered by Wye Valley River Festival.
More than 2500 people attended Shadows of Tintern, which was held in the abbey grounds on the Welsh bank of the River Wye during the evenings of Friday and Saturday (18-19 October).
The iconic abbey, a regular venue for Wye Valley River Festival events, was reimagined for two nights by lead artists Mark Anderson, a visual sound artist and pyrotechnician working with Liam Walsh and Ulf Pedersen, specialists in creating art works using sound, light and space.

Artistic director Phillippa Haynes, of Wye Valley River Festival CIC, an arts organisation led by artists and communities, said: “We are delighted with the interpretation of the site and the reaction of the audience to this piece.
“We are so grateful to the commissioned artists, crew and all our partners who delivered the most beautiful and impressive transformation of Tintern Abbey we have undertaken to date, offering a truly thoughtful, inspiring and meditative exploration of the site which was engaging and enjoyed by our visitors. The site looked truly magnificent.
“Our team overcame challenging conditions for the preparation, with dreadful weather during the build-up, which included the river bursting its banks and power outages. Luck was on our side for the evening events, which were drier for our audiences to enjoy the experience and we were graced by the glorious ‘hunter full moon’.
“The Abbey come alive through the skilful artistry of Mark Anderson, Ulf Pedersen and Liam Walsh alongside the Festival team, resulting in a weekend to remember. A special thank you to Pascal Bidios, the manager of Tintern Abbey, and his staff for being so helpful throughout the process, ensuring we delivered another successful, site specific event in partnership with Cadw.”

Feedback from audience members included: “The photos don’t capture the amazing sense of place that you conjured. People wandering around with their mouths open. A total sensory onslaught we will not forget!” Another wrote: “This was such a brilliant event, thank you very much!” A third commented: “I’d never experienced anything like this. Just WOW.”
The festival team ensured the night time show in a historic site was accessible with guides, new ramps and BSL interpreters and audio, all of which received positive audience feedback. The local economy was boosted with pubs and restaurants selling out of food as did on-site vendors.
Tintern has been a regular venue for the summer Festival, developed with Wye Valley National Landscape, and is funded by the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, Arts Council England, Arts Council Wales, the Sustainable Development Fund, the Welsh Government, Cadw and Ashley Foundation.
The summer event is held every two years to bring together local people, environmentalists and talented artists in an internationally important landscape.
Shadows of Tintern was the second autumn live show delivered by Wye Valley River Festival, following 2022’s Alchemy and Artistry, which saw the abbey grounds turned into a “fire garden”.
Mark Anderson works largely outside on installations and performances which explore phenomena and perception. His work has appeared at the Edinburgh Festival and internationally as far afield as Hong Kong, New Zealand and Australia.










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