The hotspots of Luminale 2014: Hauptbahnhof, Naxoshalle, Kap Europa, Osthafenbrücke and Weissfrauenkirche
Frankfurt is once again set to be the centre of lighting art. With around 180 projects, the 7th Biennial of Lighting Culture will transform Frankfurt into a city of light and, with hotspots at the Hauptbahnhof, Naxoshalle, Kap Europa, Weissfrauenkirche, Osthafenbrücke and Containerschiff am Main, illuminate the city along the River Main to neighbouring Offenbach. Lighting artists from all over the world will show that modern and efficient sources of light, such as LEDs, create new and exciting design options. They use the technologies being shown by international manufacturers at the concurrent Light+Building, the world’s leading trade fair for lighting and building-services technology. “Luminale takes the innovations to be seen at Light + Building into the city and thus opens up new perspectives for the artistic and sustainable lighting of architecture and the city”, explains Wolfgang Marzin, Chairman of the Board of Management of Messe Frankfurt.
Numerous companies, including several Light + Building exhibitors, are supporting Luminale and helping young artists to realise their visions this year, too. “During Luminale, the city becomes an experimental field for creative personalities. The laboratory character distinguishes Luminale from many other lighting festivals and offers young lighting designers a launching pad for becoming internationally renowned”, says curator Helmut Bien about the Luminale concept.
The hotspots of Luminale 2014
For Light + Building trade visitors, Luminale begins even before they have left the Exhibition Centre – at Kap Europa, the brand-new congress centre of Messe Frankfurt, ‘Crossover’, a lighting installation by Berlin-based artist Barbara Trautmann, symbolises the streams of visitors in the building. In addition to the traditional Luminale venues in downtown Frankfurt, such as Börsenplatz, Hauptwache, Römer and Palmengarten, the focus will be on the Main Railway Station (Hauptbahnhof) as a cathedral of mobility. Through LED spotlighting, details of the façade, such as towers, arches and allegories, will suddenly be plain for all to see. The interior of the station will be transformed into an art gallery where students show their projects, e.g., ‘reflect’, a walk-in installation that creates a room of infinite depth using light and reflections. The fascination of man-machine contrasts will be demonstrated by the ‘RoomTimePirates’ in the Weissfrauenkirche (St. Mary Magdalene’s Church), which is a Luminale venue for the first time this year. On the area in front of the Deutsche Bank, ‘Twinkle Twinkle’, a sculpture comprising 1,000 glass rods, will break down light into its spectrum of colours.
Another major attraction during the spectacular lighting event will be the Naxoshalle, a former industrial building where artists and designers from Japan, Australia, England and Poland will present their projects, e.g., an organic light tree, light paintings on the outdoor area and lighting fashion from Japan, to the international audience of visitors.
Visitors will find more lighting installations along the River Main, the banks of which have developed into vital arteries for the city and region. Anyone who goes below the deck of the ship on the ‘Mainkai’ quay, can experience ‘Cornea Ti’, the transformation of light, form and sound in an enclosed space. The meeting place for photographers will undoubtedly be the new ‘Osthafenbrücke’ bridge between Frankfurt and Offenbach, which offers an unforgettable view of Frankfurt’s illuminated skyline at night. Further upstream, Offenbach will also exercise a power of attraction with a variety of Luminale events. The port area with ‘Off-Location Hafen 2’ and the Heyne factory with exhibitions by Dutch lighting designers will underscore the potential of Offenbach as a creative location for the Frankfurt Rhine-Main region.
During Luminale, free shuttle buses will depart on a tour of selected Luminale projects from the City Entrance of Frankfurt Fair and Exhibition Centre every ten minutes. Luminale will be officially opened at ‘Börsenplatz’, in front of the Frankfurt Chamber of Industry and Commerce’ at 20.00 hrs on 30 March.
During Light+Building, visitors can obtain a copy of the Luminale programme from the Luminale stand in the foyer of Hall 4.1.
