Shining a light on the stories of Southampton

Libby Battaglia

When I eventually stepped off ship life and settled in London, I moved fully into events and creative production. Over time, my work naturally shifted towards large-scale public experiences, projects that combine creativity with logistics, storytelling with audience flow, and imagination with real-world delivery.

I originally trained as a professional dancer, spending my early twenties performing around the world. I quickly moved into production, preferring the creative work behind the scenes. That path led me to Royal Caribbean Productions, where I worked globally on some of the world’s largest ships.

Having lived in port cities across the world, when my husband and I were looking for somewhere to put down some roots, Southampton felt instantly familiar. The cruise ships, the coastline, the sense that you can travel anywhere from here. It felt like home.

While working at Lighthouse in Poole, I realised I wanted to create experiences beyond traditional theatre – something outdoor, collective, and immersive. A journalist friend suggested I visit a light festival in Manchester, and seeing it was a revelation. From here, I went on to create Light Up Poole, which became a huge success. I was encouraged to expand the production and that’s when I met Kevin Byrne. We pitched a ticketed winter light trail…and he said yes. That decision changed everything.

Many of the original team from Light Up Poole are still part of Light Up Trails today, creating a strong sense of continuity and shared creative language. Key collaborators include James Smith, whose lighting design shapes the emotional journey, and Wolf Lighting, whose technical expertise enables ambitious ideas to be delivered sensitively and at scale.

Light Up Trails is about creating immersive, magical experiences that stay with people long after they’ve left. The trail is for anyone who wants to step out of the everyday and share something memorable. At its heart, it’s about connection and collective experience.

Storytelling through light is complex because light has traditionally been a supporting element illuminating architecture or a stage rather than carrying the story itself. When you’re working outdoors, light has to do much more of the emotional work.

We always start with the location itself – trees, buildings, and landscapes – and ask how light can reveal these spaces differently, guiding a story as people move through them. Music is vital too, carrying the narrative and shaping emotion. Each trail begins by asking what the audience should feel and how that feeling should evolve.

The 2025 trail was themed Enchanted and divided into zones, each with its own sub-theme. The house projection imagined a young boy’s perfect Christmas. Taking the audience through snow, Santa’s workshop, gingerbread houses, and finally Santa flying overhead. Seasons of Light explored light’s emotional role throughout the year, using colour, rhythm, and music for a quieter, reflective journey.

I’m pleased to be supporting Southampton Forward’s City Reflections again this year – an illuminated journey through the city’s history across six historic buildings. In February, King John’s Palace, Holyrood Church, The Bargate, Dancing Man Brewery, The Castle Vault, and Southampton City Art Gallery will be transformed with large-scale projections, immersive sound, and storytelling.

What makes the project special is collaboration between community voices and world-class creative production. Six Community Curators, representing different Southampton communities, have shaped every projection, ensuring each piece is visually striking while rooted in local memory and identity. City Reflections also leads up to the reopening of Southampton City Art Gallery, bringing the city’s collections into the public realm in a fresh, accessible way.

It’s designed for anyone who wants to understand Southampton more deeply and I hope people leave thinking, “This city is extraordinary.” Its resilience, layers of migration, and capacity to reinvent itself all deserve to be celebrated.

There are many voices involved – Community Curators, archivists, historians, funders, and partners. Our role is to listen and shape these stories into a coherent public experience. Ultimately, this is public art meant to move people and leave a strong sense of place.

I love creating large-scale, ticketed experiences and I’m proud of how we engage audiences year after year. But I’m equally passionate about free, accessible cultural events. Public projects like City Reflections bring communities together, celebrate the city, and let people see familiar places in a new light. Both models matter, and it’s a privilege to work across both.

For young creatives, my advice is simple: keep going. Ideas are easy; making them happen is hard. Be persistent, curious, find collaborators, and don’t wait for permission. The city needs your perspective.