Lighting Up Amsterdam

In October the clocks go back and the days are shortened, the nights become darker and the weather colder, so what’s not to like when Amsterdam is once again lit up by the annual Light Festival? In its sixth consecutive year, the 2017–18 edition held the theme of ‘Existential’ and took place from 30 November until 21 January 2018.

As part of the ‘C-Word Talks’ series, VBAT regularly invites professionals from a diverse range of practices to come and share their knowledge, experience and exciting ideas with us. Just before the festival lights were switched on we were lucky enough to welcome Lennart Booij, the curator of Amsterdam Light Festival, to give us a better idea of what to expect.

Booij gave an engaging talk and began with a brief introduction to the history of light, looking at points in time where the technology was used in new and innovative ways. Two specific examples stuck with me, the first being when, in 1925, André Citröen (founder of French car manufacturer Citröen) used 250,000 lights, 600km of electric cable and lettering that stood at 30 metres tall to turn the Eiffel Tower into the worlds largest advertisement.

This notable feat lit up Paris for an impressive nine years, and in the eyes of a designer today it was certainly a strong tactic to make sure that nobody would forget about his brand.

The second most memorable piece of light history for me dates back to 1937, when German architect Albert Speer designed the Lichtdom (also known as The Cathedral of Light). This dramatic display took place at the Nazi rallies in Nuremberg and consisted of 152 anti-aircraft searchlights. Each light was strategically placed at intervals of 12 metres and aimed skyward to create a series of vertical bars to surround the attendees of the rallies. Despite their intentions and historical agenda, I can’t help but feel impressed by the powerful image and atmosphere that Speer managed to create.

As electricity became more readily available and technologies advanced it wasn’t long before artists and creatives alike began to adopt the medium and use it for themselves.

In the 1960’s Californian artists such as Robert Irwin, James Turrell and Dan Flavin turned their backs on abstract painting and focused on a more sensory way of experiencing art. Light was an important element here. Light was used in various forms in their artworks: from fire to floodlights and projections to neon lamps. — ALF

Amsterdam is a city filled with many creative outlets and so it feels appropriate that artists and designers are given the opportunity to showcase unique pieces of work in this diverse city. This year Amsterdam Light Festival hosted 36 individual installations by artists from across the globe. During his talk, Booij gave us an overview of the varying artworks on display, and further explained the theme ‘Existential’ as a means to encourage visitors to think positively about what unites people and the role that light plays in this.

The festival offers three ways to be seen; by boat, bike or on foot. After hearing Booij speak at VBAT it wasn’t long before I hopped onto my bike and ventured out to see the city all lit up! As there was so much to see I have chosen to mention three installations which really stood out to me.

At this time of year the city is already lit up in a true festive style to liven the spirits during these cold and wet months. One duo who took influence from the festive season is Vendel & De Wolf, who came up with a piece entitled ‘Whole Hole’ that uses hundreds of LED strips to guide the viewer under the canal bridge from The Amstel river to Herengracht. These strips are usually hung outside to represent melting ice or falling stars, however, Vendel & De Wolf have played with the notion of physics to bring their idea to life, transforming how we view the traditional lighting.

Their artwork is about making a ‘journey of existence’, and is explained as “beginning and ending with a movement towards light: a baby that is born sees the light of day, and whoever dies sees the light at the end of the tunnel”. In a way, this piece could represent a circle of life, and when viewed from the opposite canal bridge the lights dance in their reflection and physically take the form of a circle when the water is still.

Throughout history light has had strong connotations with religion. Seventeenth century Amsterdam saw a religious pressure take hold of the city, whereby freedom was limited and anybody practising any other religion but Calvinism had to do so in ‘shelter churches’. These churches could not be recognised for what they were, and what they stood for, and were often located in houses or barns. One such example is the Singel Church which is slightly hidden and set back from the main street.

Lynne Leegte, the artist of this piece entitled ‘Windows’ aimed to bring the Singelkerk to the forefront, highlighting the classic design of the building and representing the church as a ‘beacon of warmth and security in a dark night’.

Directly in front of ‘Windows’ part of the most well known installation of the festival can be seen–that of world renowned artist Ai Weiwei. Participating in the festival for the first time, Weiwei created a 6.5-kilometre-long line of red laser light that ran around the city centre of Amsterdam, as well as along the sailing route of the festival. This artwork represents a boundary, and clearly reflects the motives and ideas of the artist as Weiwei is well known for challenging social injustice and power structures in society. This piece of work keeps within that theme and asks the viewer to consider the different types of boundaries that exist and the consequences they can bring. Language barriers, national borders and personal boundaries are just a few that can present problems depending on where you are from, and as explained in the artwork description ‘the rights we have to cross such lines are often associated with our birth and place of residence’.

‘Thinline’ asks the viewer to consider who determines a boundary, and who guards it? Who has access, and who is refused? Ultimately Weiwei is asking the viewer if they are aware of their physical and mental freedom of movement, and to what extent it is essential to their daily existence. Hard to miss, this installation proudly presented itself to the whole of Amsterdam and planted seeds of thought in the minds of those who viewed and read about it.

All in all I really enjoyed the festival, it is a great addition to a city that is already beautiful during winter, bringing in more colour, life and activity. The installations on show were thought-provoking and helped spark discussions about important themes that are not often in our immediate thoughts.

Viewing the artworks by bike was fun and a new experience too but next time I am in Amsterdam during winter I shall aim to see the festival by boat!

To summarise I will leave you with a description of the piece ‘Light Matters’, which I feel beautifully articulates the dream like sensation that light can bring, as well as the importance of the matter in our daily lives.

“Since the beginning of time, light has existed in its most existential form providing comfort and enchantment. More and more, artificial light tends to steal the thunder of natural lights and darkness. These natural phenomena are hiding nowadays in pure darkness like a diamond in a mine. To reveal these marvellous pieces of natural light into the heart of the city, Light Matters proposes a travel around the world and further. Rare treasures from the universe, the northern skies, the deep sea, the center of the earth and more… will float above us reminding people how much Light Matters.” — ACTLD

If you missed this years series of installations don’t worry, as there is currently an extension of the festival running until 9 February!

The façade of EYE Filmmuseum will act as a canvas for spectacular 3D-projections. Every day, five video artists will show their work between 7–9 AM and 5–11 PM, lighting up the extraordinary building.

Enjoy!

If you enjoyed this story, please clap👏 and share to help others find it! Feel free to leave a comment below.

Follow VBAT on Twitter | Like us on Facebook |Follow us on Linkedin
Written by Kim Lundgren, Creative Intern at VBAT
edited by Connie Fluhme, PR at VBAT