There's glow limit to their imagination: Artists turn night-time streets into the playground of beguiling creatures made of light

By Daily Mail Reporter

Published: 16:29 EST, 27 May 2012 | Updated: 16:31 EST, 27 May 2012


By day, these are run-of-the-mill streets. But by night, they are turned into the playground of wacky creatures made from beams of light.

A German collective Lichtfaktor have been perfecting a technique of using long exposure photography to turn neighbourhoods around the world into their own artist's canvas.

They use torches to draw the outlines of a range of different figures - enabling them to transform bins turn into robots or make a giant purple caterpillar appear to approach a pizza box in a set of stunning photos.

Striking: Bins turn into robots using light art as they are created by German light art collective Lichtfaktor as part of the Starwars vs Startrek series in London

Striking: Bins turn into robots using light art as they are created by German light art collective Lichtfaktor as part of the Starwars vs Startrek series in London

Walkies: A woman walks a sausage dog made of light down a street in Dusseldorf, Germany

Walkies: A woman walks a sausage dog made of light down a street in Dusseldorf, Germany

Litter bug: An angry caterpillar looks down at a pizza box in Cologne, Germany

Litter bug: An angry caterpillar looks down at a pizza box in Cologne, Germany

In other shots, an alien pulls a face next to a unassuming man and an imaginary bear plays hide and seek.

They have photographed in cities including London, New York and Mumbai.

Joint owner of Lichtfaktor, Marcel Panne, 39, who takes the pictures of all of the work said: ‘At night, when the city sleeps, we come out to play - and so do these creatures.

‘We start by sketching characters, then we do test shoots in our studio and go out on the streets at night.

‘We create light animations and often work until the sun comes up.’

Marcel, who is based in Lichtfaktor's studio in Cologne, added: ‘We use regular torches and coloured gels to create the images, as well as specially made lights.

‘You could try it at home but you have to be quick when you paint with light.

Birds of a feather: The artists use their light painting techniques to draw eight birds on the steps in Cologne, Germany

Birds of a feather: The artists use their light painting techniques to draw eight birds on the steps in Cologne, Germany

Urban jungle: The artists use normal street furniture, such as lampposts up which a monkey appears to be about to climb, around their home town of Cologne in Germany as a canvas for their work

Urban jungle: The artists use normal street furniture, such as lampposts up which a monkey appears to be about to climb, around their home town of Cologne in Germany as a canvas for their work

‘We only use a 30 second exposure so you have to draw the picture then get out of the way in that time.

‘You also have to remember to point the light at the camera - people often get carried away dancing around with the lights.’

Lichtfaktor work with nine light writers. One of them is graffiti artist, David Leupschen, who painted the giant caterpillar and hide and seek bear.

Marcel said: ‘Graffiti artists are used to having to paint quickly.

‘You have to paint fast and run fast - it should be an Olympic sport.’

Extraterrestrial: The faint shadow of the artist at work can be seen just behind the alien in this image

Extraterrestrial: The faint shadow of the artist at work can be seen just behind the alien in this image

Out of the shadows: The Lichtfaktor collective usually work from sundown to sunrise in order to make the most of the dark hours to create images such as this figure peer around a concrete block

Out of the shadows: The Lichtfaktor collective usually work from sundown to sunrise in order to make the most of the dark hours to create images such as this figure peer around a concrete block

Blending in: A chameleon created by German light art collective Lichtfaktor with light art climbs a traffic light in Cologne, Germany

Blending in: A chameleon created by German light art collective Lichtfaktor with light art climbs a traffic light in Cologne, Germany

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