Vilnius Light Festival. Photo: Go Vilnius
Von Christian Schröter, 15. Februar 2024, Lesedauer 3 Minuten, 17 Sekunden
#Vilnius Will Open #Interstellar #Wormhole Inside #City—Light Festival Plans to Relocate Visitors to Space
Vilnius, January 15th, 2024
The #tradition to brighten up the post #holiday slump in January is going strong in Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania. The sixth annual Vilnius Light Festival is returning to the streets, courtyards, and alleys of the Old Town on January 25—28. Light artists from all over the world will be displaying their illumination projects while the festival’s visitors will be invited to become part of interactive installations.
One of the most fascinating light art projects that has set the futuristic theme for this year’s festival will be a light projection Cosmos Vilnius by Rimas Sakalauskas, a promising multimedia artist based in Lithuania. The installation depicts an interstellar wormhole that will open up in one of the courtyards and will transport the visitors to an alternative Vilnius. Set up in the mockumentary style, the project explores the idea of relocating Vilnius to a moon—and invites the visitors to join the adventure.
Around 200K visitors come to the festival every year. This January the program is comprised of two parts: the main program with curator selected installations and additional objects with voluntary initiatives by culture, arts, science, education, and business organizations. 20 light art installations by artists from Lithuania, France, Poland, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands will be displayed all over Vilnius.
The city’s Old Town will once again welcome light art enthusiasts and welcome them to visit yet undiscovered spaces like Arts Printing House, a contemporary arts center set up in a 16th century printing house. The venue will exhibit two light art installations. One of the creations, Flux, by Polish artist Ksawery Komputery will represent a virtual communication between people and reveal hidden algorithms of virtual meetings through 4,800 meters of light emitting diode strings and 144,000 pixels that operate 100 times per second.
“Light festival is a unique expression of cultural diversity. It represents ideas, exceptional projects, and art innovations by global artists. At the same time, the festival encourages international exchange of culture and dialogue”, Paulius Jurgutis, director of Vilnius Cultural Center which initiates the #festival.
An artist duo Illumaphonium from the UK will exhibit their light art project Continuum which redefines the urban environment. The installation becomes a mysterious space beckoning the visitors to get lost between geometric mirrors and light and sound monoliths.
Every year Vilnius Light Festival celebrates the city’s birthday on January 25th. Since 2019 the event has highlighted the city’s architecture, streets, alleys, and courtyards with innovative light art installations. 91 light art projects from 18 countries have been exhibited in Vilnius over the last five years. The festival’s app with routes and installation information is available on #Google Play and #App #Store.
About Go Vilnius
Go Vilnius is the official tourism and business development agency of the City of Vilnius. The agency provides visitors, investors, and businesses with all the essential information about the Lithuanian capital. More …
Vilnius—European Green Capital 2025
The European Commission announced Vilnius as the winner of the 2025 European Green Capital Award, recognizing the city’s remarkable ability to integrate sustainability efforts with the well being of its residents. Vilnius has successfully connected various initiatives aimed at achieving clean air, clean water, biodiversity preservation, green spaces, and more. One of Vilnius’ innovative approaches to citizen engagement involves the use of a dedicated app, allowing residents to participate in various aspects of city management and planning.
The European Green Capital Awards program has been in operation since 2008, and Green Capitals across Europe continue to collaborate as part of the Green Capitals Network, which includes 36 cities. This network works together to implement ambitious urban improvement ideas.
