Lyon Light Festival Forum 2018

– Pecha Kucha Sessions

This brand-new session of “Pecha Kucha”- style speed presentations will be an opportunity for peer-to-peer sharing and exchange in the field of creative lighting. Hear from light festival organisers, artists, and designers about creative light projects and innovations in the field. These will take place in two separate rooms, La Corbeille and Room Tony Garnier, in the Village Lumière of the Palais de la Bourse. 

Borealis, a festival of light – A first-in-the-US global competition and exhibition of technology and light art

by Tamas Vaspori and Terry Morgan, Co-Founders and Co-Producers, Borealis, a festival of light, Seattle (USA)

In creating BOREALIS, the partnership between Modern Enterprises LLC (Seattle) and Maxin10sity (Budapest) made for the perfect long-distance relationship, merging talents and energy that made this debut event an international success. The co-founders of the event will explain how this festival came about and what they experienced during the first edition of the festival in October 2018. The major projections and 25 light art installations attracted over 120 000 people during the four-day run, turning this spectacular free event into what is sure to be a landmark civic festival for the City of Seattle.

City of Light project in Jyväskylä

by Elisa Hillgen, City of Light Coordinator, City of Jyväskylä (Finland)

This presentation will showcase the history and current situation of the City of Light project in Jyväskylä, Finland. Jyväskylä has been a forerunner in urban lighting for over 20 years and is now taking new steps towards the future. Urban lighting projects, test areas, new innovations and a growing light festival are all important parts of this on-going project. Lighting coordinator Elisa Hillgen will share the achievements and lighting practices of this medium size city in Central Finland.

Meaningful light

by Laurent Louyer, Creative Director, Creatmosphere (London and Lyon)

Creatmosphere’s creative process is driven by the context of space and time – the in-situ approach to understanding how spaces were, are or could be used and their interrelation to time. At the centre of this sits the public, the inhabitants, the passersby, the audience, the user, the explorer… of the light space. This public is involved and engaged in the process, either via public participation, consultation, educative workshop or other interactive ways. The presentation will showcase Creatmosphere’s various projects that illustrate this unique approach, focusing on the environmental context of spaces in creative cities.

The future of lighting

by Philippe Bergeron, CEO / President, PaintScaping (USA)

PaintScaping will showcase the future of lighting via projection mapping. This presentation will demonstrate the transformation of the architecture of any city into an extraordinary canvas – a celebration of art, history and culture. How does 3D mapping benefit people and how does it benefit cities?

Galway 2020…Digital Capital of Culture

by Denise McDonagh, Programme Manager, Galway 2020 European Capital of Culture (Ireland)

Denise McDonagh will present on Galway 2020 European Capital of Culture, discussing the artistic vision and some of the projects currently under development as part of the programme for Digital Capital of Culture. She will talk about Galway 2020’s largescale light project Fireflies – An Embodied Orrery : Lampróg.

How Beepositive became Vilnius Light Festival

by Andrius CIplijauskas, CEO and General Manager, Beepart NGO (Lithuania)

International Light Festival Beepositive is a lighting design and installation festival held every autumn in Vilnius, Lithuania. Creative workshops, educational and cultural programmes, light experiments, a craft market and other attractions delight children and adults. Around 30 000 people visit the festival each evening and there are more than 50 light installations and 20 other activities planned for guests. Beepositive stared as a small local event in one of the Vilnius’ neighbourhoods in 2011 and has since grown into a well-known international light festival. In 2019, Beepositive festival will move to the Vilnius city centre in collaboration with Vilnius City Municipality.

Share Art with People, by all means!

by Carole Purnelle, CEO, Artist, OCUBO (Portugal)

Ocubo has a vocation for participatory artworks and promotes three kinds of audience participation: on the spot or remote; with other artists (singers, dancers, painters, etc); and selected groups workshops. This started in 2001 with an exhibition where each of the artworks had a counterpart where the visitors could interact through technology or physically. When working in the world of light festivals, Ocubo surfed on the same motivation: inviting people into the work, a medium through which the others can express themselves. Apart from the obvious architectural and structural differences between the cities that host festivals, each city has a very different audience, in their expectations, in their culture, in their habits and in the relation created with this audience. Representatives from Ocubo will discuss these differences and how they adapt their works for each festival.

Lighting the cathedral of Antwerp

by Michel Gerits, Architect, projectleader lightplan, City of Antwerp (Belgium)

The city of Antwerp has a master lighting plan since 2012 and since then has begun lighting the historic buildings of the inner city with new LED lighting systems. After the realization of the new lighting of the Grote Markt, Stadhuis and the surroundings, the city expanded the illuminated center this summer. The cathedral of Antwerp, with its 123 meter high Gothic tower, is the most important beacon and symbol in the city’s landscape. Relighting the cathedral in a contemporary, creative way with respect for the building became the new big challenge. After the appointment of a lighting designer and obtaining all the right permissions, the work was carried out in the summer of 2018. Since the festive opening on 1 September 2018, the cathedral and 40 other new facades are part of the illuminated center of the city.

Winter light festivals in the City of Linköping

by Jonas Sjölin, Head of Technical Office, City of Linköping (Sweden)

Linköping has been working on winter light arrangements since 2004 and was one of the first cities in Sweden to arrange such illuminations. The lighting arrangement started as a walking lane with artistic light in the city. Over the years, new walkways and light installations have been created in other parts of the city. This has encouraged Linköping residents to discover new parts of their city and has contributed to an increase in the feeling of a safe city. In 2019, a new winter lighting arrangement will be presented to the inhabitants in Linköping, with the project name Light 3.0.

Luci d’Artista: 21 years of public art light festivals in Torino

by Alberto Lalli, Architect/Officer, City of Torino (Italy)

Alberto Lalli will present the “Luci d’Artista” art light festival which is now in its 21st edition. The festival was created in 1998 with the idea to rethink traditional Christmas street lights in a more artistic way. With the economic support of the City of Torino, the first 14 light artworks by Italian and international artists were set up in different streets and squares of Torino. Since the second edition of 1999, each year at least one new artwork is added to the collection of art works owned by the city, becoming a significant part of its public art heritage. The collection now comprises 34 artworks, with 23 of them currently exhibited, of which 6 are permanent.

 #UniversUs, connection between dance and projection

by Stephanie Knoblich, Dramaturge/Producer, Forum InterArt (Germany)

#UniversUs (2018) is an interdisciplinary artistic collaboration between Forum InterArt and TYE (Trust your Ears), developed and produced for the STARO RIGA 2018 festival. The work covers the whole length (ca. 60m) of a Zeppeline Hangar (UNESCO site) in the Central Market. #UniversUs contemplates the origin and destiny of mankind, the interaction between individual and social awareness, and the ability of expression as a form of non-verbal communication. Contemporary Latvian dancers interact with the visual worlds and musical soundscapes.

LUMEN – the future European space for light stakeholders !

by Marc Fontoynont, Professional Development & Programming, project LUMEN Cité de la Lumière (France)

This exceptional architectural space of 6000 sqm, orchestrated by the Cluster Lumière and Cardinal, aims to galvanize the different uses of light, unite actors in the industry and develop their innovations. As of mid-2020, LUMEN will be a unique industrial and cultural centre in Europe, which, thanks to its training sessions, events and innovative projects, will favor the appropriation of light by all audiences.

Photo credits
©Touho Hakkinen ; ©Creatmosphere