New Route for Lux Helsinki Circles Around Helsinki Cathedral

The 9th annual Lux Helsinki light festival organised by the City of Helsinki will take place from Thursday to Monday, 5 to 9 January 2017. The festival will be accompanied by the “Lux In” light art exhibition at Cable Factory from 1 to 10 January 2017.

Lux Helsinki will illuminate historical buildings and dark courtyards, leading festival-goers to the idyllic quarters of the Kruununhaka district. The new route starts from the Market Square and follows Mariankatu into Kruununhaka, the courtyard of the University of Helsinki’s Topelia building and the courtyard of the National Library before returning to the Market Square. The focal point of the festival will be Helsinki Cathedral, which will be illuminated on all four sides. Watch the video of the route here: youtu.be/5Yd51eozS1g

Lux Helsinki demonstrated its appeal at the start of this year, when a record number of people viewed the light installations despite the freezing conditions. Lux Helsinki is a free-of-charge event that is suitable for the whole family. The light installations can be seen daily between 5pm and 10pm.

The new route for Lux Helsinki in 2017 leads visitors through the historical quarters of Helsinki, from the Market Square to the Kruununhaka district. The compact route makes it possible to enjoy restaurants, cafés and urban culture alongside the light installations. The complete festival programme and restaurant offerings will be published in December.

“The main Lux Helsinki route once again takes festival-goers to places they perhaps would not normally go to on a daily basis. The enormous success that the festival has enjoyed in recent years combined with a growing number of partners have made it possible for us to improve the already interesting content in a variety of ways. The positive benefits of light during the darkest time of the year are well known, and we want to offer this possibility by means of spectacular light art,” says Ilkka Paloniemi, Artistic Director of Lux Helsinki.

Lux Helsinki to light up the city’s most photographed silhouette

Light, media and visual artists from Finland, the Netherlands and Mexico will bring to life a total of 15 installations along the main route of Lux Helsinki 2017. At the same time, the “Lux In” exhibition will present a wide spectrum of light art at Kaapelitehdas. Details about all the installations can be found on the festival website luxhelsinki.fi.

For the first time in the history of Lux Helsinki all four sides of Helsinki Cathedral will become part of one massive light installation: Domus 360° by Tarja Ervasti can be experienced from all four directions, both near and far. The brightly illuminated dome will be visible from far away, while up close the installation can be admired from Senate Square, Unioninkatu, Kirkkokatu and the upper level of the cathedral.

Lux Helsinki will light up the impressive buildings next to the Market Square throughout the festival. The façades of City Hall, the Swedish Embassy, the Supreme Court and the Presidential Palace facing the sea will all be illuminated, as will Helsinki Cathedral in the background. The overall effect can be admired from an observation platform in the Market Square.

The façade of the iconic Stora Enso head office facing the Market Square and Presidential Palace will serve as the canvas for an impressive light installation entitled Cube. The five-part animation creates an illusion in which analogue and digital, nature and technology, and old and new coexist side by side.

(Source: Visit Helsinki)

(Source: Visit Helsinki)

Veljekset (Brothers) pattern by designer Maija Louekari will feature in an installation projected onto the façade of the Bank of Finland along Kirkkokatu. The inspiration for the pattern came from the main characters of Finnish folk tales, so-called totem animals, that come to life in the animation.

The inner courtyard of the University of Helsinki’s Topelia building will present an installation by the Flowers of Life collective that exudes mysticism and the magical glow of light. Comprising patterns that seem to float in the air, the installation plays with light and forms.

The inner courtyard of the National Library of Finland will feature the poetic and moving installation Absence by Mexican artist Mónica Ruiz Loyola. The installation describes the exploitation of women in Mexico and the systematic violence inflicted on women in Ciudad Juárez. Sewing was chosen as the form language since many of the women murdered in Ciudad Juárez worked in inhumane conditions in sweatshops. The installation has previously been exhibited at light festivals in Spain, Belgium and Mexico.

Two interactive installations can be experienced in Senate Square, inviting festival-goers to observe and play with light together. Joukkovoima (People Power) by Petri Tuhkanen comes to life when you step on the scales. The greater the number of people on the scales, the more intense the colour of the light becomes. Light Pipes by Rölli Ridanpää and Tero Laine in turn depicts the urban landscape – the light and the interaction between people represent the city’s diverse opportunities. The interactive installation comprises copper pipes and valves that adjust the brightness of the lamps.

Other installations can be admired on Espa Stage, the House of Nobility and the bell tower and chapel of Helsinki Cathedral, as well as in the Tori Quarter. A complete list of the installations and their locations can be found on the festival website luxhelsinki.fi.

(Source: Visit Helsinki)

(Source: Visit Helsinki)

“Lux In” light art exhibition at Cable Factory

The “Lux In” light art exhibition will be held for the second time at Kaapelitehdas, presenting a wide spectrum of art by established artists and students from the Lighting Design master’s degree programme of the University of the Arts Helsinki. The exhibition will also feature lanterns from the traditional Lantern Park installation. The “Lux In” light art exhibition responds to feedback from festival-goers by extending the duration of the event to span ten days. The artists and installations will be announced in December. The exhibition will be open from Sunday to Tuesday, 1 to 10 January 2017, at Cable Factory (Merikaapelihalli). Admission to the exhibition is free of charge.

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The Lux Helsinki light festival is organised by the City of Helsinki. The event is coordinated by Producer Emma Lumme and produced by Sun Effects Oy. The artistic directors of the festival are Ilkka Paloniemi and Matti Jykylä.

Stora Enso is the main partner for the event. IKEA Finland, Marimekko, Bright, Shader and Sun Effects are partners and The Central Union of Agricultural Producers and Forest Owners (MTK), Plan International Finland, Granlund, City, Bassoradio, Linnanmäki and the Tori Quarter are network partners.

Lux Helsinki is part of the official Finland 100 centenary programme in 2017.