Every edition, Amsterdam Light Festival artworks are selected by a jury through a Call for Concepts, where international artists are asked to submit new ideas.

The 2016/17 festival consisted of two different routes. Water Colors, the boat route, took place in the canals of Amsterdam and let visitors experience the artworks from a water perspective. Illuminade, the walking route, exhibited artworks and installations in the Plantage neighbourhood.

Every year, the festival introduces a new theme which the artists base their work on. For the this year’s Water Colors theme,

artists were challenged to give a new view on the city and its architecture, future and role in the world. Amsterdam serves as a canvas for new art and light installations that are connected to specific characteristics of the city. The theme was interpreted by the artists in their own way, sometimes historic, futuristic or with humour and irony. The artworks offerered new perspectives to the visitors and raised questions about the city.

Secondly, the Illuminade route focused on a theme of biomimicry – the science of the logic and structures of nature being applied to solve human problems. Think of energy efficient buildings inspired by termite mounds or antibacterial surfaces inspired by red seaweed. The artworks that were selected engaged in a dialogue based on all  aspects of the biomimicry theme.

www.amsterdamlightfestival.com

Water Colors Installations:

Ana Morphè – Isabel Nielen, Together – Luigi Console & Valentina Novembre, Bridge of the Rainbow – Gilbert Moity, Blueprint – Reier Pos, Bunch of Tulips – Peter Koros, Nexus – Victor Viscek, ARCO – Teresa Mar, What’s he building in there – Laurent de Wolf, A Window in Time – Motion Paintings, Nest – Vikas Patil & Santosh Gunjar, WISP –  Pitaya, The Lace – Choi+Shine Architects, Wolfert’s Dog – Tatiana Titova, 15000 and more – Studio Klus, Rhizome House – DPArchitects, Lightwaves – Benthem Crouwel Architects, Eye_Beacon – UNStudio, Flower Strip – Aether & Hemera, Welcome to my (home)town – Lighting Design Academy, Souvenir – Erik Kessels.

Illuminade Installations:

Mens – Human  – Edson Bruno Filho, Green House – Victor Engbers, Mini-Biomimimcry – Stichting Schoolbuurtwerk and eight Amsterdam primary schools, Nerve – member Lydia Fraaije, SONAR Light Pulse – Paul Cremers, Rotifers – Nicole Anona Banowetz, Under Influence – Iemke van Dijk, GREEN PIGS – BIBI, Enthalpy – John Bell, Hourglass – Wilhelmusvlug, You Lookin’ at Me? – Tropisme Art & Science Collective, Flowering Phantasm – Clay Dorse Odom, Human Beeing – The Constitute, Dancing with Trees – Reanna Niceforo and Phil Sutherland, Living Pods – Anouk Wipprecht, Tree Hugger – Daan van Hasselt and Asia Jackowska, Translucent – HvA and Breiter Aademy, From Twente with Love – Randy van Lingen and Vanessa Evers.