The Light opens in Durham after £17m redevelopment

Durham’s old DLI Museum reopens as The Light after £17m cultural transformation

The Light has opened in Durham with three galleries, a permanent Durham Light Infantry display and an inaugural exhibition featuring major contemporary artists.

Light-based artwork inside The Light cultural centre in Durham Image: The Light / The Art NewspaperOriginal source

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Durham’s former Durham Light Infantry Museum and Art Gallery has reopened as a new cultural centre following a £17 million redevelopment.

The Light opened on 22 August with three galleries for temporary and touring exhibitions alongside a permanent display telling the history of the Durham Light Infantry.

Its first major exhibition, Victory Over the Sun: Encounters with Light, brings together work by artists including Tracey Emin, Dan Flavin, Chila Burman, Steve McQueen and Olafur Eliasson.

The building has not been stripped of its previous identity. Instead, military history and contemporary art now occupy the same revived space, with the permanent DLI display free to visit.