CONNECTING PEOPLE THROUGH LIGHT
-A weekend full of light in Hevelianum

35 attractions, more than 70 artists, creators and scientists from Poland and abroad and nearly 3,500 participants. There were lasers, scanners, LED neon, sodium and UV lamps, and sunshine wasn't missing. The Festival of Light literally lit up Gdansk.


On the weekend of May 13-14, we celebrated the UNESCO International Day of Light for the second time on the grounds of the Hevelianum. As part of the festival, there were numerous attractions on Gradowa Hill - from astronomical observations, through creative workshops, to mapping and laser shows that drew crowds. The Festival of Light is an event that combines art, science and technology, but most importantly, it brings people together.

- We connect people through light - that's our motto. This is not just a slogan, but the story behind the creation of our festival. We are a rather unusual group. We include third-year and third-age students, astronomers, painters, programmers and musicians. We were brought together by light. We came together because each of us had a project related to it in our minds. We decided to join forces and not only realize these ideas, but also invite everyone interested to cooperate," says Magda Maszewska of the Hevelianum.

During this year's edition of the festival, we managed to build the installation from which it all began - The Room Without Colors, a room where, thanks to the use of a certain spectrum of light, colors become invisible.

- Until the last minute we were not sure if our project would come to fruition," says Joanna Tadych from Hackerspace Tricity, one of the authors of The Room Without Color, "everything because of the problems with acquiring the main element, i.e. sodium lamps. My stress level grew inversely proportional to the number of days left until the event. When a sodium lamp finally arrived a week before the festival, and when it was turned on, magic happened and the colors disappeared, my eyes literally glazed over with happiness. I'm very happy that for those two days I could be a sorceress restoring color (and smiles) with a single snap. Some of the younger viewers had to be reassured. The kids were worried that they had lost their colors forever. There were many visitors who came back several times to once again feel the contrast and see how colorful the world is and how lucky we are to see those colors.

Hackerspace Tricity also presented the results of their experiments with light. Their exhibition included sound-responsive installations, glowing umbrellas, projects using 3D printing technology and ledons (led neon lights) created during the festival workshops.

- Above all, we wanted our installations to arouse curiosity and inspire visitors to experiment with technology on their own.
Numerous questions such as "what is this made of?", "does this installation use a prism?", or "how long does it take to make such an umbrella?" showed that visitors to the Festival of Light liked this formula. We hope that it is the works of these curious and creative people that will be included in the next edition of the festival," says Piotr Gaczkowski of Hackerspace Tricity.

The artistic part of the event was taken care of by Aleksandra Goździelewska from the creative artists agency L'arT

- I am delighted with the reception of our festival art exhibitions and workshops.
I am happy to see how much joy and beauty I was able to bring to the participants together with my artists. The Festival of Light is proof of how much can be done by joining forces, inspiring and supporting each other.

Undoubtedly, the biggest highlight of this year's festival was the impressive light installation by Slovak artist Sedemminut, towering over the main square of the Hevelianum, which is an expression of the opposition to the war in Ukraine. For Peace consists of 50 two-meter tall figures whose peaceful walk subtly turns into a run, and a run at the speed of light. The ceremonial launch of the installation inaugurated the evening's attractions which also included audiovisual electronic music concerts, a dance theater performance and mapping and laser shows. Many institutions were involved in organizing the event, including the Metropolitan Institute, which prepared a family field game that was completed by more than 200 participants.

The astronomy journal Urania PA and the Lukasiewicz Institute prepared workshops for the youngest and the Demagog Association and Erasmus+ Peer Train took care of seniors.


Event coverage: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NlbEXk5qsj8&ab_channel=HackerspaceTr%C3%B3jmiasto

Organizers:

Hevelianum is a place where you can encounter science and history.It is also an ideal space for pleasant leisure activities, strolling among historic architecture and relaxing in greenery.Since January 2022, there is also a seaside branch of the Hevelianum - the Spa House in Brzeźno, a place for environmental education. hevelianum.pl

Hackerspace Tri-City is a community of technology enthusiasts and builders bringing together all those who want to develop, share knowledge and build an open technology space. hs3.pl

L'arT is a creative artist agency and online gallery that promotes the art of light and color, connects artists with potential clients, and creates amazing art projects, initiates collaborations and events. lartagency.com