Amsterdam Light Festival 2014

Arborescence by Loop.pH has been selected by the jury for Water Colors, the boat route of Amsterdam Light Festival 2014-2015. Water Colors will take place from 27 November 2014 to 18 January 2015.

Arborescence is one of the winning proposals for the Amsterdam Light Festival 2014.

A floating, ephemeral forest of porous, cellular trees resembling the Rhizophora species grow from the water on the Amstel, luminescing and animating in response to the dynamic motion of water. It suggests a bioengineered forest, genetically altered to glow similarly to many squids and fireflies.

Trees play a vital role in the ecology of human habitats and provide sheltered social spaces. Similarly, visitors will be drawn to the cluster of animated, glowing trees and into a sensory experience that they will want to return to. The forest will be alive with light and constantly animated by the surrounding turbulent water.
Through creating a visionary, insightful and positive installation, visitors are invited to question the future of light in Amsterdam in a time when advances in bioengineering respond to increasing energy scarcity.

This is a fantastical speculation about the future of light in the City – proposing a hybrid between trees and streetlights in order to create sustainable ‘living lighting’. We bring cutting edge scientific research from the laboratories and into public space to inspire debate and action. The UN declared 2015 as the Year of Light and we see this is a great opportunity to showcase the most innovative and radical thinking around light-based technologies.

We are celebrating the advancement of cities, and human ingenuity to reprogram life to create more sustainable, bright futures.

The cities of the future could be green and glowing spaces where natural elements such as bioluminescence and urban farming are used to soften the impact of a changing climate.
From a new report ‘Cities Alive’, compiled by Arup, the engineering and design consultancy responsible for London’s Garden Bridge project. (April 2014)

Amsterdam Light Festival 2014

This winter, Amsterdam will light up once again up during Amsterdam Light Festival. This is the third edition of the winter light festival for young and old. For more than fifty days, the historical center of Amsterdam will be the unique décor for this international festival.

The city will be complemented by light sculptures, projections and installations by contemporary (inter)national artists. The boat route, Water Colors, will take visitors past artworks along Amsterdam’s canals and the Amstel. The walking route, Illuminade, winds through the city center. The theme for this year’s festival, ‘A Bright City’, challenges artists to create a tribute to life the city. The resulting artworks present a unique take on the modern city of Amsterdam.

During the festival, light will play a central role in the city as museums and institutions organize light-related activities, introducing visitors to innovations in light art.

The third edition of Amsterdam Light Festival will take place from 27 November 2014 to 18 January 2015. For more information, visit www.amsterdamlightfestival.com