Up All Light
Amsterdam and Toronto come alive with light.
Every year, luminous, high-end artworks co-created by national international artists, designers and architects are selected by a jury to light up Amsterdam’s canals. Last winter, artists were challenged to work within the theme of “the medium is the message”, a famous expression coined by media scientist Marshall Mcluhan. Every evening, 29 lightworks were illuminated and the exhibition could be experienced by boat, bike, or on foot. Visitors voted for their favorite artwork and a public award was given in the final weekend to conclude the festival in January.
Guest of honor Jeroen Henneman created the installation “two lamps” for the exhibition and a smaller version–“one lamp”–which was available as a limited edition via the festival. Other installations included gigantic dandelion-formed lights rotating over the canals and various fixtures on bridges, windows, and building rooftops.
Across the Atlantic, Toronto’s Museum of Contemporary Art brought light to cheer up visitors over the long dark Canadian winter. Light Therapy, an installation by Slovenian artist Apolonija Sustersic, encouraged visitors to spend between 15 minutes and 3 hours in a room illuminated by LED lights that stimulated a sunny day. Light exposure is used to treat Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), a form of depression occurring commonly in winter. The installation was originally produced for Stockholm’s Modern Art Museum in 1999 to examine the use of space as a vehicle for healing.
Sources: Amsterdam Light Festival | designboom (November 29, 2018) | MOCA Toronto (Light Therapy) | Image: Laura Pittaccio