Lights in Alingsås announces sustainable theme


3rd May 2016

(Sweden) – 2016 instalment of Swedish light festival follows “The Enlightenment” theme, shining light on sustainability. 

This year, the theme of the Lights in Alingsås light festival and workshop is: “The Enlightenment”. Come October, the festival will shine a light on some of the world’s most important sustainability questions.

“This year we started working towards winning an environmental diploma for the festival, a process which is already under way. Then we thought we’d work with sustainability and decided to make it the theme of this year’s festival,’’ said Angelica Larsson, Event Manager Lights in Alingsås.

This year, eight international lighting designers have been asked to create installations highlighting the UN’s objective – sustainable development. Their creations will be placed along the light trail that will run through the town of Alingsås in Sweden.

“We like the theme of our festival to have a link to important trends and issues, and sustainability is ever prevalent in the news at the moment. We want to show how it’s possible to have a fun experience when you see our light installations, while at the same time you are given a lot to think about,’’ said Margaretha Stenmark, Workshop Manager, Lights in Alingsås.

World leaders have committed themselves to seventeen sustainable development goals in order to achieve three amazing things over the next fifteen years: the eradication of extreme poverty, the reduction of inequality and injustice in the world, and a solution to the climate crisis.

“I hope that this year’s theme, both for the light festival and Alingsås municipality, will mean a step forward when it comes to the environment and sustainability issues. Municipal employees, Alingsås residents and many festival visitors will receive increased insight into different global and local sustainability issues. In the long run, these insights will hopefully lead to concrete action that will make Alingsås, Sweden and the world more sustainable,’’ added Fredrik Bergman, Environmental Strategist at Alingsås municipality.

In an intensive week before Lights in Alingsås opens to the public, the light trail is being created by this year’s eight international lighting designers, working with more than 60 students from all corners of the world. During the week, the students will also have the chance to attend a lecture on sustainability and the environment with an extra focus on global sustainability. The speakers at the lecture will include: Bergman and Fredrik Wizemann (Sustainability Controllers at Alingsås Energy and responsible for ensuring that the festival receives its environmental diploma).

The result of seven days hard work is presented in the form of lighting installations around Alingsås. It is when the international lighting workshop comes to an end that the main event starts, and the public can enjoy the installations.

Lights in Alingsås festival runs from 30 September to 6 November, 2016.

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