I experienced the Northern Lights in Birmingham and it was so beautiful

Seeing the Northern Lights has been a lifelong dream of mine, but I never imagined I would see them in Birmingham. That is, until I heard about Borealis, an immersive art installation that recreates the magic of the Aurora Borealis that was visiting in the heart of my home city - at the Bullring in Birmingham, for free.

Borealis is the work of Dan Acher, a Swiss artist who has brought his project to 40 cities and four continents, sharing the beauty of nature with millions of people. He uses high-powered lasers and particle clouds to simulate the effect of the solar wind, the stream of charged particles that emanates from the sun and interacts with the earth's magnetic field, producing the Northern Lights.

I went to see Borealis on Friday (February 9), hoping to catch the best view of the installation, which was set up at St Martin’s Walk. Borealis mimics the Aurora Borealis with lasers and particles, bringing the splendour of nature to millions of spectators in the half term week. 

As I got closer to the site, I saw the rays of light cutting through the darkness, forming a spectrum of colours that shifted and swayed with the wind.

I was among a crowd of people who were admiring the show, some snapping photos and videos, others simply savouring the moment. The installation was paired with a haunting and beautiful soundtrack by French composer Guillaume Desbois, who used the sounds of the actual Northern Lights, recorded by scientists in Finland, to make the music. The sound and light created a harmony that was both calming and captivating.

I was filled with awe and wonder as I watched the lights, Desbois’s composition added a melodic layer to the light display. Visitors stood still, immersed in the interaction of sound and colour.

I had seen something that I had always wished to see, and experienced a rare moment of beauty and tranquillity in the middle of a busy and hectic city centre. Borealis had visited 40 cities around the world, leaving traces of wonder. Could technology ever match nature’s awe-inspiring gifts?

Even though Borealis was a wonderful artistic creation that added some magic to Birmingham, I still dream of seeing the real Northern Lights someday, but both remind us of our planet’s immense beauty.