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.
