Entertainment

Rainbow lasers light up Edinburgh skyline

The spectacular show was the Scottish premiere of Global Rainbow, an installation by Puerto Rico-born artist Yvette Mattern.
The spectacular show was the Scottish premiere of Global Rainbow, an installation by Puerto Rico-born artist Yvette Mattern. The spectacular show was the Scottish premiere of Global Rainbow, an installation by Puerto Rico-born artist Yvette Mattern.

Rainbow lasers lit up the Edinburgh skyline as part of a colourful artwork.

The spectacular show was the Scottish premiere of Global Rainbow, an installation by Puerto Rico-born artist Yvette Mattern.

A rainbow lights up the sky above Edinburgh Castle
A rainbow lights up the sky above Edinburgh Castle The installation lit up the sky above Edinburgh Castle as part of the Burns & Beyond festival (Jane Barlow/PA)

It was brought to Edinburgh as part of Burns & Beyond, the Robert Burns festival, and was initially scheduled for January before being postponed because of lockdown restrictions.

The artwork beams seven parallel shafts of light across the skyline, representing a “spectacular rainbow crashing through what seemed like apocalyptic clouds” the artist witnessed in 2007.

Ms Mattern said: “This year, more than ever before, Global Rainbow can bring together communities to look ahead to a brighter future, while reflecting on the year past.

“Edinburgh is a perfect stage for the installation and I was very excited to see the rainbow reach out above the city.”

A rainbow lights up the National Monument on Calton Hill
A rainbow lights up the National Monument on Calton Hill The National Monument was also illuminated (Jane Barlow/PA)

The National Monument on Calton Hill was also lit up in rainbow colours for the occasion.

The Global Rainbow installation has already been seen in cities around the world including New York, Berlin, Sao Paulo and Toronto.