11 December 2015
Call for community participation! Do you have a box of burnt out incandescent light bulbs collecting dust in your basement or attic? Have you been waiting for an excuse to swap your incandescent bulbs for more environmentally friendly options?
Canadian artists Caitlind r.c. Brown & Wayne Garrett are looking for burnt out incandescent bulbs of all shapes and sizes (clear, opaque, round, oblong, over-sized, etc) to help repair their CLOUD sculpture. Soon to be on exhibition in Helsinki as part of Lux Helsinki 2016, CLOUD is a large-scale, interactive light sculpture built from 6,000 incandescent light bulbs. In an effort to reduce waste and expenses, CLOUD asks the public to collaborate by donating burnt out incandescent light bulbs to the sculpture as part of the artworks ongoing maintenance.
Intended to create an awareness of usage and a playful reminder of post-function potentials, this experiment asks the public to help transform burnt-out trash into brilliant treasure – and then come experience the results of its transformation during Lux Helsinki 2016!
Bulbs will be accepted until Tuesday January 5th, 2016 at Helsinki Tourist Information (Pohjoisesplanadi 19, Mon-Fri 9am-6pm, Sat-Sun 10am-4pm).
NB: The Tourist Information will be closed on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day from 24 to 25 December 2015. On New Year's Day 1 January 2016 the Tourist Information is open only from 10am to 4pm.
10 November 2015
In 2016, Lux Helsinki will develop into an urban festival featuring a wide range of attractions. The festival's food offering is just getting better – street food will be available on Senate Square and Annankatu. The additional programme and eateries will be announced in December.
Based on feedback from the public, the festival route will be simplified and more signposting will be provided to make the works easier to find. Audience feedback on the timing of the festival has also been taken into account in the selection of dates. In 2016, the festival will begin on Epiphany, four days later than in the previous year, and will continue over the following weekend.
"Lux Helsinki aims to be a winter urban festival, in which the whole city participates. It will feel more like a street event, since the secluded Old Church Park and compact Annankatu will be the key venues featuring a number of artworks and food outlets," says the festival's Artistic Director Ilkka Paloniemi.
The eighth Lux Helsinki will feature a number of artistic highlights from European light festivals and several commissioned works specially created by artists for the event. More than 15 of the light artworks will be created by some of the most interesting artists from Finland, France, Belgium and Canada.
9 November 2015
Lux Helsinki wishes everyone welcome to apply for Lux Helsinki 2016 side programme! The festival wishes to receive primarily light-themed content that can be realized along the festival route or nearby at the Helsinki city centre. Your proposal for the side programme can be art, culture or discussions: in earlier years the festival has seen e.g. exhibitions, clubs, seminars, installations, workshops and performing arts.
The festival production holds the right to choose the suitable content. The suggestions have to be self-funded: unfortunately the festival can’t offer economical or productional support. The accepted side programme will become a part of the festival’s communication and marketing. Unfortunately all proposals can’t be answered and no feedback will be given of them.
The light installations of Lux Helsinki 2016 have been already chosen and they will be published in November 2015.
The search for proposals has ended 6 November 2015.
We are also seeking for restaurants, cafés and food vendors to participate in the festival. Restaurants, cafés and food vendors are requested to fill in the form 14 November the latest: https://my.surveypal.com/Lux_Helsinki (in Finnish)
9 January 2015
Participate in a survey about Lux Helsinki 2015! You can take part until 16 January 2015. A light-themed Helsinki bag will be drawn as prize among all participants!
9 January 2015
The Lux Helsinki light festival, arranged for the seventh time between 4 and 8 January 2015, brought over 200 000 visitors from Helsinki, the rest of Finland and around the world to the centre of the city. The fire performances by the Fire Circus Walkea in Senate Square were witnessed by an audience of around 28 000 over a period of five days. One of the themes of the festival this year was audience participation: spectators were actively involved in artworks which they could help to complete. Lux Helsinki is organised by the City of Helsinki and is free for visitors.
The installations were created by artists from various fields from Finland, Germany, France, Belgium and Japan. The installations were on display at 13 venues around Senate Square, in the neighbourhood of Kansalaistori Park, and at Annantalo. The One Minute of Fame installation, which moved around the city from day to day, was seen on Keskuskatu, in Narinkkatori, Mannerheim Square and Rautatientori, and at Annantalo. The festival included a total of 17 light installations.
The festival's additional programme included light-themed exhibitions, guided walking tours, a festival opening club and special offers tailored to festival-goers by restaurants.
“The festival supports the City of Helsinki’s strategic objective of arranging events that are free and open to all residents and visiting tourists. It is lovely to see how the audience actively participates in the light festival across the whole city each year. We want to thank all the visitors”, says Head of City Marketing at the City of Helsinki Saila Machere.
“The festival is known both in Finland and internationally, and for many, participation in the event has become a tradition. The number of light installations is such that everyone can find an installation that interests them. As a modern urban event, Lux Helsinki also brings forward current themes that divide public opinion, thus distinguishing itself from more entertaining light events. The purpose of art is to provoke debate,” comments Artistic Director Ilkka Paloniemi.
“The event is more versatile thanks to several partners, for which we are grateful. The audience has expressed a wish that cafés and restaurants in the city centre could stay open in the evenings while the event is going on. Currently, there are 18 partner restaurants, but there is room for more", Saila Machere says.
The event’s Artistic Director is Ilkka Paloniemi and the Technical Director is Matti Jykylä. Sun Effects Ltd is in charge of production. The next festival will take place in January 2016.
See pictures of the 2015 festival at the gallery.
Partners
INSTAGRAM