Fusion of classical and modern works of light art on the route of the 4th Vilnius International Festival of Lights

Vernissage exposition “Electro”, philharmonie de Paris le 8 avril 2019

On Tuesday, 25 January, Vilnius will celebrate its 699th birthday with the traditional lighting of the installations of the Vilnius International Festival of Lights. For five days until 29 January, an unprecedented number of light artists from around the world—France, the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Canada, Australia and Lithuania—will present 17 works and 5 additional objects to celebrate the festival and to offer their memorable wishes to the capital.

The Vilnius Light Festival grows, expands and explors the city. Light installations and other festival objects discover and transform new places in Vilnius.

The new programme of the Vilnius Light Festival features 22 spectacular works by award-winning representatives of light and visual art, bringing together contemporary art, light and sound technologies, creativity and innovation. The festival features light art classics, widely recognised and well-known works, as well as modern, little-seen works that interpret the phenomena of both the art world and the environment around us,” says Paulius Jurgutis, Head of the Vilnius Culture Centre and the festival organiser.

To help you follow the festival route, find and visit all the venues more easily, you can download or update the mobile app here – via App Store http://bit.ly/vilniuslightfestival  or Google Play http://bit.ly/vilniuslightfestival

The diverse programme of the Vilnius Festival of Lights will surprise you with many unique and interesting projects.

On 25 January, the real birthday of Vilnius, the streets of the capital and the Cathedral Square will welcome a 4.5 metre high giant of light – “The Giant of Light” by the German art project DUNDU. It will light up the city’s symbolic birthday clock, which will count down the days until Vilnius’ 700th anniversary.

The installation “Evanescent” of the giant colourful “soap bubbles”, an artwork by the creative studio “Atelier Sisu” from Australia, will not leave anyone indifferent. Little festival-goers will also enjoy the “Fairy Tale Giant”, a mysterious creation of the Lithuanian audiovisual communication agency Wide Wings, which is meditating underground in the Šventaragis Valley and is about to hang a new sun instead of the old one.

In Konstantinas Sirvydas Square, festival visitors will see Point Zero, a minimalist installation by the French artist Johan Correze, created especially for the Lyon Light Festival, which took place from 8-11 December 2021, an interpretation of light as a subject, an illusion, a formation and a deformation.

Near the Presidential Palace in Simonas Daukantas Square, the limits of perception will be tested by Kinetic Perspective, an interactive kinetic art installation inspired by optical illusions and kinetic art, created by Spanish artist Juan A. Fuentes.

The installation “Opera” by Linartas Urniežis, a master of video projections, videographer and animation artist, will shine on the façade of the Lithuanian National Opera and Ballet Theatre in front of the fountain. Its play of lights and music sound effects will reflect the life of the theatre.

In the new art space “Lukiškių kalėjimas 2.0” visitors will find a monumental work “Swarm” by Lithuanian artist Vėjas Aliukas and a hypnotic light and sound installation “The Great Indecision Council” by French artist Romain Tardy, which, according to the artist, reflects a self-portrait of contemporary society. The installation will be on show until 3 February 2022.

One of the most interesting works on show at the festival is Core, a digital audiovisual installation by the creative studio 1024 architecture, presented at the Paris Philharmonic in 2019, which will invite you to experience the fusion of dynamic volumetric light and electronic music in the MO Museum until 20 February.

A classic of the light art scene is Wave Interference, a light installation based on the principles of the electromagnetic spectrum by Canadian artist Robyn Moody. The combination of an elegant wave of light with a gradually changing melancholic soundtrack will be available for festival visitors to experience until 3 February at the cultural space “Hook + Culture”.

Philippe Morvan, another French classic whose installations have travelled the world, a stage designer inspired by theatre and cinema art, will delight Vilnius residents and visitors with a real luminous totem in Žemaitė Square – a playful Hikarinoki tree made of steel and recycled green plastic objects. The colourful and sonorous light show illustrates nature’s fight against industry and pollution.

And what would Vilnius’ birthday be without traditional light objects: the festival-announcing crown of light over the Gediminas Castle Tower that can be seen from the most distant districts of the capital—the installation “Invitation” by the Vilnius-based light artist Arvydas Buinauskas, and the illuminated sword of the city founder, Duke Gediminas—which is the initiation piece “Gediminas of Today” by Kipras Krasauskas.

Visit and enjoy the spectacular gift of the Vilnius Festival of Lights on the occasion of the city’s birthday on 25-29 January, at 5-10 p.m.

For the programme, news and interesting features of the Vilnius Festival of Lights, please visit https://lightfestival.lt/, on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/VilniusLightFestival and on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/vilniuslightfestival/.

During the birthday celebrations, Vilnius residents and guests will also enjoy a variety of other entertainment and surprises. For a full programme of upcoming events, please visit www.700vilnius.lt. All events for the birthday are free of charge, but the number of participants may be limited for safety reasons.

We remind you that to ensure everyone’s safety, please enjoy the Festival of Lights in the capital responsibly by avoiding crowds, keeping a safe distance, and wearing protective face masks to cover your nose and mouth.