Festival of Lights: umbrellas from Leipzig travel to Eindhoven
On October 9, international co-creation project Beacon of Hope by artist duo Craig Morrison and Ant Dickinson lit up Richard Wagner Square as part of the Leipzig Festival of Lights 2023. Since, Beacon of Hope has lit up the City of Eindhoven as an attraction of the GLOW light art festival.
From 11th to 18th November 2023, the city center of Eindhoven shined in the brightest colors as part of the GLOW festival. This time, the event took place under the motto ‘The Beat’, representing both the rhythm of the city and the dynamics between the people who live there. This year, for the first time, the GLOW festival went beyond the familiar city limits of Eindhoven. The aim was to make art accessible to everyone.
Leipzig Festival of Lights project lights up Eindhoven
It was the GLOW festival, among others, that originally gave Scottish artist and festival developer Craig Morrison the idea of developing a joint light art project that would move from light festival to light festival.
The aim: to add a unique element at each stop that is characteristic of the respective venue and its inhabitants. After GLOW made guest appearances in Eindhoven (NL), the City of Light in Jyväskylä (FI) and the Fête des Lumières in Lyon (FR), the Leipzig Light Festival was the fourth stop. Here, on October 9, 2023, the Leipzig elements were added to the Beacon of Hope: Umbrellas as symbols of various revolutionary movements, especially the one in Hong Kong, These umbrellas with the messages of freedom painted on them now travelled to Eindhoven to underline the concern of Beacon of Hope.
Artist consciously relies on cooperation between citizens
Craig Morrison explicitly wanted Beacon to thrive on collaboration with citizens.
“I tried to think of a way of bringing people together to celebrate the creation of light festivals. I find it very interesting to combine folk elements that are time and location specific. Art and culture are powerful and can initiate a dialogue with citizens”
“Art and culture are powerful and can initiate a dialogue with citizens. As Joseph Beuys (German visual artist) believed, everyone is an artist, and social art can bring about social change. And we must try this, now more than ever.“; Craig Morrison told the organizers of the GLOW Festival.
Photo: ©Bart van Overbeeke
