Spotlight 2015 | 1st Edition
Period: April 23-25, 2015
The first Spotlight edition took place in the context of the International Year of Light, proclaimed by UNESCO in 2015 to draw attention to the importance of light and light-based technology in contemporary society. In this symbolic setting, Bucharest joined the great cities of the world that celebrate light through art, and the Bucharest City Hall, through ARCUB — the Cultural Center of Bucharest, organized between April 23 and 25 the first edition of the International Festival of Light — Spotlight.
The debut of the festival was marked by an energetic concert in the heart of the Historic Center, on Strada Francaise, where the bands Romarta, Robin and the Backstabbers and The Man with Rats took the stage. For three days, Calea Victoriei — between the Central University Library and the United Nations Square — turned into an impressive open-air urban gallery, animated by interactive installations, spectacular projections and games of lights, redrawing the contours of the city.
To stimulate creativity and local artistic involvement, ARCUB launched a call for projects addressed to young artists, architects and designers, receiving around 30 innovative proposals. The winner was the Urban Neon Forest installation, signed by Antonio Păun and Thomas Herrera, students at the Ion Mincu University of Architecture and Urbanism. The project proposed a poetic reinterpretation of a simple walk on Lipscani Street, transforming the area in front of the National Bank into an urban forest of 80 neon poles, inviting the audience to interaction and contemplation.
Spotlight was conceived as a natural step for Bucharest's integration into the international network of light festivals, but also as a cultural initiative aimed at reactivating the public space and offering residents of the capital a unique visual experience. Since its first edition, the festival has enjoyed important international collaborations, such as the partnership with Signal Festival in Prague, which brought outstanding installations to Bucharest, amplifying the impact and global dimension of the event.
See the participating facilities below.
