Virtual rainbow lights up North East coastline

A laser display made up the seven colours of the rainbow will light up the skies of North Tyneside, marking the start of the 2012 Cultural Olympiad in the North East.

Global Rainbow is a light installation by US artist Yvette Mattern and it is the first time that it will be seen in the UK.

She spoke to the BBC's Peter Harris on the beach in Whitley Bay, where she said the ''virtual rainbow'' stood for ''diversity and peace''.