Water, Light and Art Merge at the Water Light Festival 2024

Anish Kapoor. WATER LIGHT FESTIVAL Neustift 2024. Photo Zumtobel.

The Water Light Festival 2024 promises to be a celebration for the senses and the soul as it transports visitors to a world full of colour, fantasy and reflection. From 24 April to 12 May, the episcopal town of Brixen/Bressanone in South Tyrol and the Neustift monastery will shine in unique splendour thanks to the creative works of some outstanding artists from all over the world.

In the evening in Brixen

There are 15 light art installations in public spaces in Brixen, which can be admired in the evening from 9 pm to midnight. Public art has the power to transform the environment, bring it to life and offer people new ways of experiencing and understanding their surroundings. “Through art in public space, we can also address important social and environmental issues, bring communities together and make public space a place where creativity, dialogue and exchange can flourish,” says Werner Zanotti, Managing Director of the Brixen Tourismus Association and head of the event’s curatorial team.

One of the highlights of the festival is undoubtedly the presentation by the Spanish multidisciplinary art and design studio Onionlab. On the imposing facade of the Brixen Cathedral, it presents the captivating work “Climate”. This nine-minute audiovisual piece confronts the viewer with a dilemma: which world do we want to inhabit? A gloomy, dry and grey world, marked by the consequences of the climate catastrophe, or a bright and harmonious future? An impressive projection encourages visitors to decide in favour of hope.

Another impressive work comes from the German light artist Tom Groll from the TENTAKULUM collective. His work “Green Washing” in front of the Brixen Tourismus building presents an installation that is fascinating both during the day and at night. Two washing machines and two IBC water tanks, connected by a network of hoses, symbolise green washing by circulating uranium-enriched, light green water. This visual metaphor for the perfect functioning of the economy encourages us to reflect on the reality of greenwashing.

**Tom Groll**, *Greenwashing*, 2024. Photo: **TENTAKULUM** collective.

The late Italian artist Piero Gilardi will also be honoured posthumously with his installation “Migration (Climate Change)” at the Hartwigplatz. This work, which was originally created in 2015, shows the silhouettes of migrating pelicans in flight, symbolising the animal migrations caused by global warming.

During this year’s festival, the international studio OCUBO from Portugal is presenting the interactive installation “Human Tiles” in the Brixen City Library. The installation allows passers-by to interact with the graphic pattern on the facade using the colours of their clothing. This pattern is reminiscent of traditional Portuguese “azulejos”. The installation not only emphasises joy and curiosity through a playful approach to different cultures and traditions, but also places people at the centre of a high-tech process that overcomes the boundaries between man and machine.

Thanks to the support of the Embassy and Consulate General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Studio Toer‘s ‘Firefly Field’ work enchants visitors to the Herrengarten with countless points of light floating above the ground, reminiscent of the movement of fireflies at night. The light points, moved by bioluminescence reflected on flowerbeds and shrubs, create an enthralling atmosphere, expressing Studio Toer’s fascination for luminous animals through specially developed LED light points. The unique composition of the points creates a natural and unpredictable movement, enriching the visitors’ experience.

During the day in Neustift

Also in this edition a part of the Water Light Festival takes place in the Neustift Monastery. An exhibition, which is accessible during normal museum opening hours, presents 19 artists who work with light and digital media and deal with the dialogue between cultural heritage and contemporary art. Entitled NOTATIONS, the exhibition addresses ecological challenges and climate change. The exhibition project is curated by Bettina Pelz. For the first time, the exhibition will be extended beyond the festival period until 29 June.

Thanks to the partnership with Zumtobel lighting brand, works by renowned artists such as Anish Kapoor, Keith Sonnier and Brigitte Kowanz are presented in Neustift Monastery, a few kilometres north of the Brixen old town centre.

The installation by Anish Kapoor can be seen in the Engelsburg. It is a field of experimentation for perception. Embedded in a surface of light is a rich, deep black surface that creates the impression of infinite depth in the human eye.

Works by the French artist François Morellet and the American artist Keith Sonnier were also exhibited at Neustift Monastery in the last edition of the Water Light Festival. This year, “Recréation No. 7 (1994)” by François Morellet and “Chacahoula” (1997) by Keith Sonnier from the Zumtobel Collection will be on display, once again proven classics in the art history of light.

Two installations by Austrian artist Brigitte Kowanz from the Zumtobel Collection can also be seen in the cultural history museum at Neustift Abbey. Both installations thematise the connection between light as an electromagnetic wave and Morse code as the first code of electromagnetic space, telegraphy. The installation “Lichtwechsel” translates the title of the installation into light signals from colour fields, while the installation “Wir schwimmen in der Linie und tauchen sporadisch ins Mosaik” visualises a quote from Vilém Flusser. The media philosopher thematised how our world is becoming a highly complex network of signs and codes.

Another remarkable work comes from the Swiss artist Laurence Bonvin. Her work “Aletsch Negative” offers visitors a fascinating and unsettling journey into the interior of the Aletsch Glacier, the largest and longest glacier in the Alps. This visual experience questions spatial and temporal scales and emphasises the urgency of climate change.

Laurence Bonvin., Aletsch Negative (2019). Photo Laurence Bonvin.

Glaciers are regarded as archives of climate history. With the loss of glaciers, not only are climate conditions changing, but knowledge of nature is also disappearing. Nicolás Rupcich travelled to the Arctic Ocean in April 2022 to show the current changes from his perspective; the installation “Archipelago Archive” provides an insight into the video material that the artist recorded. The many screens are at the same time reporting, image library and knowledge repository.

Light, whether natural or artificial, has long inspired and fascinated people, especially artists. Over the last 200 years, light art has taken many forms and is now increasingly making its way into public spaces. Artists are experimenting with space, technology, light sources and surroundings, with light offering an almost endless palette of possibilities. The Water Light Festival in Brixen and Neustift Monastery will showcase impressive works that tell powerful stories, are visually appealing and address important issues such as sustainability, traces and nature conservation while showcasing contemporary creativity and new technologies.

The Water Light Festival 2024 is not only a display of art, but also a reminder to take action. Through the creative combination of water, light and art, important social issues are highlighted, and visitors are encouraged to reflect on their role in shaping a sustainable future.

More information on all the artworks: www.waterlight.it