1st Edition of the Madrid International Festival of Light

Sed ut perspiciatis unde omnis iste natus error sit voluptatem accusantium doloremque laudantium, totam rem aperiam, eaque ipsa quae ab illo inventore veritatis et quasi architecto beatae vitae dicta sunt explicabo. Nemo enim ipsam voluptatem quia voluptas sit aspernatur aut odit aut fugit, sed quia consequuntur magni dolores eos qui ratione voluptatem sequi nesciunt. Neque porro quisquam est, qui dolorem ipsum quia dolor sit amet, consectetur, adipisci velit, sed quia non numquam eius modi tempora incidunt ut labore et dolore magnam aliquam quaerat voluptatem.

1.5 degrees is the temperature that separates us from climate catastrophe and the disappearance of glaciers. This installation will transform the Alameda Castle into an immense iceberg of light and music. These moving, realistic images of ice interact with projections, lasers and LEDs. Eyesberg, a multimedia art studio with José Vaaliña at its helm, focuses on transforming spaces into interactive and immersive art installations.

Our hands, and by extension our bodies, become the means to connect both to our biological rhythms and this circular interactive sculpture. An installation that materialises the heartbeat of two people who are connected to a circular network of interactive light totems. Chevalvert, founded by Patrick Paleta and Stéphane Buellet, presents this collective experience in which a union is created between the two users and the surrounding space.

The reflections of the sun onto the Mediterranean Sea, a portable explosion of light. The feeling of having this light within our grasp, being able to interact with it, and recharging our energy thanks to its synchronised dance of light, colour and sound. An experience where interaction between object, space and spectator are essential. Maurici Ginés explores the synergy between design, art and people, using light as his medium and creating pieces of art and luminous identities.

Inspired by the decorative patterns of Spanish artisan tapestries, these four interactive “carpets of light” comprise a mosaic-like spectrum of colours and a multitude of pixels – the fundamental element in digital images and the equivalent of the artist’s brushstroke. The result is a sensitive visual symphony. Miguel Chevalier, a pioneer of virtual and digital art, uses computers as an artistic means of expression in the field of visual arts.

Physics has repeatedly confirmed that the distinction between past, present and future is only an illusion. Inspired by the concept of relativity, this installation is a 90-pixel matrix in which each pixel moves independently on its own vertical axis from ground level to a height of 5 metres. Where movement, sound and light interweave in a stunning performance. The Collectif Coin, art-lab presents this installation in which the public keep their feet firmly on the ground while the pixels travel.

An epic living poem that celebrates conversation, communication and citizenship. In this piece, light is projected onto both the façade of the building and the public. A panoramic artificial intelligence that forms a collage of faces, words, signs, and symbols. Charles Sandison invites the audience to stop and share this peaceful visual moment in the company of others.

Inspired by the Optical Art illusions of the 1960s, this installation takes a simple piece as its starting point: an ever-spinning circle that appears to be moving outwards. The result is an abstract, immersive geometric shape that plays with the perspective of visitors. Juan A. Fuentes aims to awaken emotions and experiences in which the limit between what is real and what isn’t fades and where everything rests on the perspective of the onlooker.

Through digital abstract art, this piece reflects on the way algorithms have very quickly penetrated various aspects of our lives. A space for reflection on how predictive analytics can comprise our rights and freedom when they are not used ethically. SpY is an urban artist whose work is undeniably defined by careful attention to the context of his pieces and his constructive, non-invasive attitude.

An installation that shines a light on the elderly and the professionals that work with them. Their hopes, fears, musings ¬– from stories, letters and poems to words, drawings and doodles – form this collage of memory made of light. Luzinterruptus is an anonymous artistic collective. Since 2008, the group has worked in public spaces using light as a raw material and the dark as a canvas.

Gigantic, glowing white bunnies have invaded cities all over the world. This cutesy image with visual humour was deliberately created to lure visitors into the art, only to reveal its more serious message about our negative impact on the environment. Thanks to the spectacular size of the sculptures, Amanda Parer references “the elephant in the room”: despite how big this issue is, we are still able to ignore it.

Part of the Contemporary Invaders project

This installation revisits Goya’s Disparates, or Follies, as the most enigmatic and cryptic works of the painter. In this installation, the front of the building will be Haro’s white canvas. Upon it he sketches a sequence, his colour palette reminiscent of Goya’s etchings, bringing a new perspective to this series through movement. Ángel Haro’s Flying Folly is brought to life by a large bird that soars across this building’s façade in search of meaning and textures.

An interactive installation that uses a webcam to track the faces of participants, inviting them to make facial gestures. In the form of a never-ending video call, the piece reflects on the absence and distance we feel when using this form of communication. Daniel uses technology and aesthetics as tools to create a gallery of virtual human beings with each user interaction.

We have always looked up at the stars and dreamt of infinite theories about the universe. Now, a grand monolith is erected on Madrid’s Gran Vía Avenue, opening a window to the other side of the cosmos. This enormous luminous structure towers over the city, rousing both doubt and expectation. Óscar Testón, founder and CEO of Vjspain, gives us a split second to glimpse what lives and moves within.

This nocturnal artwork charms audiences with fleeting LED stick men that invade public spaces. A scripted visual show, part animation and part moving sculpture. The accompanying sound design lends an ambience of humour and suspense to the installation. Groupe Laps is an artist collective comprising designers, video makers and sound engineers, who create films, installations, multimedia devices, and more.

Respecting the planimetry of the location where it is brought to life, this installation comprises a journey, attuned to the ways in which visitors interact with it. Light projections above the heads of the audience and the abstract hum of the lighting seek to create a sensorial experience. Maxi Gilbert, light and set designer, works in a range of fields including theatre, fashion, music, festivals, mass events, etc.

Part of the Contemporary Invaders project

The expression of life through movement. Urban figures from different social and cultural backgrounds that dance, walk and move across the façade of the building as symbols of life in the city. Human figures that strive to form part of the Madrid’s central axis. Javier de Juan presents a visual loudspeaker of figures that come and go as symbols of the life that buzzes in the capital.

In the aftermath of the events of this past year, the artist of this personal and thought-provoking piece establishes the City Hall as our lighthouse and source of hope and life. The piece can also be interpreted more openly as the search for beauty as a guiding light towards recovery. Juanjo Llorens, as the great lighting artist that he is, believes it is light we are born from and light we return to.

A journey into a time loop is projected onto a building transporting us to the past, present, future, and beyond. This installation invites us to reflect on our own futures and the predestination paradox, which traps time travellers in a loop of events that predestine him or her. Onionlab presents this interactive audiovisual show where technology, design and art converge. In collaboration with Unai Lazkano (Delorean), who composed the soundtrack.

Glowing trees of light that reveal their very essence as living forms, as well as the natural environment around them. Visitors discover the sap that, in the form of light, travels up the stems and branches of the protagonists of this piece, accompanied by a soundtrack brimming with the sounds of wind, birds, and crickets. Erik Barray is an urban basket weaver whose desire is to weave a link between man and nature. On this occasion, he uses light to create this connection.

Part of the Contemporary Invaders project

A projection onto the façade of the Prado Museum and the Church of Saint Jerome the Royal reveals the human traffic of these very spaces. A loop of people coming and going becomes a metaphor for the dynamics we see at both museum and church to respond to our human needs of observation and reflection. Where beauty meets transcendence. Using digital photography, Alicia Moneva uses the repetition of moving figures and human traffic as her visual mantra.

The connection between geometry and the natural world becomes a meditative act, uncovering the hidden dimensions of the spaces in which they arise. Light projections in geometric shapes that fit directly onto plants and trees, altering our perception of the landscape. Javier Riera sees geometry as the language of nature prior to matter. For him, like Land Art, it holds the potential for the creation of subtle and revelatory resonances.

A work in progress, a process of observation and experimentation to give life to forms created through light. Mechanical movements give way to living projections, accompanied by hypnotic sounds to create a profound atmosphere. Antoni Arola, winner of the 2003 National Design Award, is on an eternal quest for beauty. Through his unique vision, light and colour form the backbones of the invasion of space.