This winter, art illuminated the capital of the Netherlands for the seventh time: from the 29th of November to the 20th of January the historical centre of Amsterdam is the main platform of the major cultural event — Amsterdam Light Festival.

This year's theme is the aphorism of the Canadian philosopher Marshall McLuhan: "The Medium is The Message." The essence of the statement is simple: the way in which we express a thought no less important than the meaning of the message. What role is played by light — the medium or the message? More than 600 artists from around the world have tried to find the answer to this question. But only 30 installations received the right to become a part of the landscape of the European capital and to please visitors and residents.

Let's look closer at some of them. Have a nice trip!

"Light a Wish" by Merav Eitan and Gaston Zahr (OGE Group)

Make a wish and blow on a dandelion — it will surely come true! 20 lit parachutes (each about two meters in height) carry out the dreams along the water channel.

"A. N. N." by Péter Koros and Réka Magyar (Kóros Design)

A suspended sculpture illustrates by light the processes occurring in the human brain. The name of the sculpture is an abbreviation for "artificial neural networks" — the software used for image, speech recognition, prediction of the situation in the financial sector.

"ARCHEStextures: PORTAM CIVITATIS" by Peter Snijder

An eerie floating design resembles examples of Gothic sculpture — or rather medieval churches and cathedrals. However, instead of stone and stained glass windows fine threads with UV radiation are used.

"All the Light You See" by Alicia Eggert

To reach the Earth's surface, sunlight needs about eight minutes, and the light of distant stars needs millions and billions of years. All the light that we see has come a long way from the past to the present, and the author of the installation reminds us of the transience and elusiveness of the moment: the lighting of the lettering is changing, highlighting different words and shifting accents.

"Desire" by UxU Studio

Lips are a symbol of desire, passion, sensuality. Therefore, we use them to communicate: they talk, express emotions, kiss. In human lips there are more nerve endings than in fingertips. These ideas are demonstrated by 1500 bright red light bulbs that turn into a huge flaming heart when viewed from the side.

"Code" by Frederike Top

What does this set of 34 numbers and letters mean? It looks like a festive illumination... But in fact this is a real online wallet that stores a certain amount of cryptocurrency.

"Midnight Summer Dream" by Teatro Metaphora

It is possible to create something beautiful of garbage. An amazing installation by the Portuguese Studio convincingly demonstrates the idea: lanterns floating over the water — the drums of washing machines found in the garbage or given away for recycling.

"Mr. J. J. van der Veldebrug" by Peter Vink

"The principle is simple; the outcome is comlex" — this is a description by the author of the installation, named in honor of its location, the Mr. J. J. van der Veldebrug bridge.

"Night Vision" by Tom Biddulph and Barbara Ryan

Vision is an incredibly complex system of stimuli and signals that evolved along with people. We've never seen so much before, because in the modern world, images have become the main provider of information. The location of the installation is symbolic: the boats sailing into the "eyes" are light rays that convey the information to our organs of vision.

"O. T. 976" by Stefan Reiss

This colorful and playful installation represents one of the main modern ideas of the Universe — the string theory. According to this theory, everything in our Universe — from humans on Earth to the most distant stars, — is connected with tiny vibrating particles or "strings". These particles are so small that at the moment there is no instrument able to register them. So the theory remains unproven.

"Lightcloud Parabolic" buy Renzo B. Larriviere and Simone Chua (amigo & amigo)

Over thousands of light bulbs are used by the authors to make the invisible visible — the human emotions. Different color combinations, patterns and their changes illustrate such strong emotions as love, happiness, tranquility and sadness. But don't let them fool you! The program works in both directions, and the light affects the mood of the viewers.

"SPIDER on the Bridge" by Groupe LAPS

In fact, there is not one spider, there are as many as 80 of glowing spiders! Each of about two meters in width, and a LED backlight creates the impression that the giant arthropod is creeping somewhere.

"Absorbed by Light " by Gali May Lucas

This is a familiar picture, isn't it? The meaning of this sculptural sketches needs no explanation: today, everywhere you can see people completely absorbed by the light from the screens of mobile phones. Any passerby can become part of the installation, and even to merge with it, just sitting on a bench... with a phone.

"Starry Night" by John Jelić and Pavel Petrovich

"The sight of stars always makes me dream," wrote Vincent van Gogh to his brother Theo. The immortal masterpiece and perhaps the most iconic image of the night sky never ceases to inspire creators and audiences. Moreover, in modern cities you can rarely see the glow of the stars overhead...

A small video with a virtual walk along the lit up streets and canals of Amsterdam:

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