LIGHT ART MANIFESTO*

The way we interfere with our world is very much defined by the way we experience it. We are what we see, hear, feel and understand through all our senses, therefore:        

WE ARE WHAT WE PERCEIVE!

One way of understanding Existence is visual perception. Visual perception is made possible by Light: emitted by and reflected from surfaces into our eyes and being processed by our thoughts and emotions. 

Besides the physical phenomenon and the ways it affects the biological condition of all existing forms of life, Light is the matter through which we visually perceive, hence the information carried by light helps us understand our world, just as the light-information of the night sky allows us to learn more about the Universe. 

Science has a measurable approach, Art provokes our Senses, all with the same motivation: understanding the ultimate questions of Life, as the only way to Consciousness. 

Artists have an important role in this process, artists are the seismographs of their times. Artists analyses the mechanisms of perception with a particular focus on the boundaries of perception. By continuously reflecting on these questions, Art kept and keeps people awake and aware of all of the processes of perception! The conclusions of the artistic research are extending the boundaries and expanding our scope of action.

Light is not only the matter of visual perception, but the primary substance of our Existence; as a result, when light artists are analyzing the processes of visual perception, we are actually dissecting the fundamental questions of Existence!

Since Art has met Science and Light has become our matter of creation: Light Art Installations, Light Environments, Video Sculptures, Spatial Projections, Architectural Projections, Projection Mapping, Interactive and Immersive Experiences, Light Interventions, Light Paintings, AV Performances and the various other forms of Luminism – through all the light-based and lumino-kinetic experiences – enable us to research, tweak, enhance, construct, deconstruct, dissect human perception at a level never seen before! 

The Art of Light reflects on How and What we see, on How and What we Interpret, therefore on How and What we Understand! The artist seeks the truth as intensely as a scientist!

We have the eyes of a painter, the soul of a poet, and the brain of an engineer! We strongly believe that we can understand Creation the utmost by Creating!

Regarding the social impact: if Light has such an important role in our physical existence, we presume that Light Art has a similarly important role in our metaphysical condition. Light Art affects people on so many non-physical levels – emotional, psychological, intellectual –, hence light art is as important for our spiritual state, as Light is for our biological state!

We consider Light Art a re-entry into our Coexistence! A possibility to elevate our Senses to a better Understanding, through Emotional Experience, Visual Thinking, Spatial Thinking, because Light is information, and reading the information is crucial, not only for the improvement of our Survival Kit, but for our Spiritual Elevation.

The Art of Light is a medium that offers a social experience, a bond between people, an Interaction through Interaction. Light stimulates and activates all our sensory channels, organizing our bodily sensations into a common ensemble. 

Light Art has a long and fruitful history, but it has never had a dedicated Manifesto. At the moment, we are on the verge of the instrumentalisation of kinetic media and the commodification of all luminous excitements, appropriated by market-oriented activities.

Light Festivals have become popular venues for promoting “Light Art”, but in most cases the audience has been misled, embellishments are/were presented as pieces of contemporary Light Art. But a festal decoration cannot carry – by nature -, too much information, for this reason it cannot raise meaningful questions.  We do not agree with these tendencies and by signing this Manifesto we want to intervene into the process of commercialization that calls the results: “Art”. Embellishments will not possess any aesthetic, intellectual, or cultural values merely by assigning the magical tag: ART to them! 

We are simply requesting the Light Festivals and Light Events that prefer embellishments and all those shows, projections and decorations out of the artistic context, not to use the tag “Light Art”, in order to avoid ruining the values of Light Art – most of all – deluding the Audience! Evoking and maintaining the legacy of lumino-kinetic media means that we are protecting its values!

We are convinced that events dedicated to the luminous wonder have to bring Art and Light into a meaningful and complementary relationship, otherwise the audience will be continuously mislead! 

The Audience, the Visitors are Receivers, therefore the responsibility of what to exhibit is completely on the organizers, curators, and the artists themselves! We are calling all parties to bring a substantial quality change, in order to elevate Light Festivals to become important platforms of Light Art, so they can act as genuine conduits of Light Art. In the era when – in technical terms – there is enough Light, conversely, we need more Art!

By signing this manifesto, we intend to draw attention to the values of lumino-kinetic art, the aesthetic merits of the profession and to the legacy of our great Precursors! 

We invite all committed Artists, Curators, Organizers and dedicated members of the Scene, to strengthen this initiative by signing the Manifesto!

Art is elevating! Art is a Revelation! Revealed by Light!

The Art of Light is the Eighth form of Art!

*We wish to pay tribute to our great Precursors:

Alexander Scriabin, Thomas Wilfred, László Alexander, Mary Hallock-Greenewalt, Naum Gabo, Antoine Pevsner, Walter Ruttmann, Kurt Schwerdtfeger, Viking Eggeling, Oskar Fischinger, Max Bill, Man Ray, Mary Ellen Bute, László Moholy-Nagy, György Kepes, Nathan Lerner, Frank Malina, Victor Vasarely, Bridget Riley, Julian Stanczak, Josef Albers, Denise René, Andrzej Pawłowski, Gyula Kosice, Jean Tinguely, Nikolaus Brown, Zdeněk Pešánek, Lucio Fontana, Jesús Rafael Soto, Gregorio Vardanega, Arnold Alfred Schmidt, Francisco Sobrino, Jean-Pierre Yvaral, Joël Stein, Horacio Garcia Rossi, Richard Anuszkiewicz, The Boyle Family, Norman McLaren, Len Lye, John Whitney, William Moritz, Jordan Belson, Charles Dockum, Richard “dr.” Baily, Woody Vasulka, Donald Judd, Carl Andre, Jasper Johns, Piotr Kowalski, John Cage, Nam June Paik, Steve Rutt and Bill Etra, Wen-Ying Tsai, Rockne Krebs, Nicholas Schöffer, Eusebio Sempere, Abraham Palatnik, Aldo Tambellini, François Morellet, Iannis Xenakis, Heinz Mack, Otto Piene, Dan Flavin, Ellsworth Kelly, Getulio Alviani, Carlos Cruz-Diez, Keith Sonnier and so so many other known and unknown great People!

Published on the International Day of Light, 2021.05.16

Signatures are open Forever!

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Signed by:

Daniel Canogar

Andrew Quinn

Carlo Bernardini

Waltraut Cooper

Klara Kuchta

Titia Ex 

Maja Petric

Attila Csáji

Waldemar Mattis-Teutsch

1024 architecture

HC Gilje

Joanie Lemercier

Juliette Bibasse

Refik Anadol

Kurt Laurenz Theinert

Rodrigo Carvalho

Dies_

Robert Seidel

Quiet Ensemble

Yann Nguema

Arnaud Doucet

Guillaume Marmin

Janne Parviainen

Ivo Schoofs

Craig Morrison

Michael Betancourt                   

Sabine Weissinger

Friedrich Förster

Erzsébet Horváth

starsky

Zsolt Gyenes

Kit Webster

Children of the Light

ilan katin

Erik Mátrai

Balint Bolygo

Malte Kebbel

Onionlab

Amar Mulabegović

Nohlab

aka_chang 張方禹                      

Robert Sochacki

Julian Hölscher

Urbanscreen

Hotaru Visual Guerrilla

Masaru Ozaki

Gabor Kitzinger

Ákos Maróy

fuse*

Ouchhh

Tundra

Hotaru Visual Guerrilla

Dan Gregor

Dorette Sturm

Aparatti Efimeri

João Martinho Moura

John Ensor Parker

Raffaele Fiorella

Marcelo Vidal – Chindogu

Lorenz Potthast

Bastien Preudhomme

Pekka Stokke

Playmodes

Xenorama

Mâa / AAASeed

Szigeti G Csongor

Silje Thorsager Østby

Robert Iversen Bogard

Synthestruct

Cyril Meroni

Jérôme Li-Thiao-Té

Adrien Boulanger

Jamie Ramirez

Elwira Wojtunik

Csaba Popesz Láng

Rodrigo Guzman

Eduardo H Obieta

András Nagy

Gaspar Battha

Filip Roca

Andrea Sztojánovits

Vanessa Hafenbrädl

Ivó Kovács

Vigas – Leandro Mendes

Teddy Lo

Maya Mouawad

Cyril Laurier   

Jonas Denzel

Gábor Balázs

Tommaso Rinaldi

Riccardo Franco-Loiri

Flightgraf

Nullpixel

Zemba Akos

Raffaele Fiorella

Sebastien Schnabel

Andor Merks

Tamás Szvet

Cinzia Campolese

Viola Lukács

Anastasia Isachsen

Andrea Möller

Márton Orosz

Endre Lehel Paksi

Martin Posta

Jan K Rolnik

Shane Walter

Michele Cinque

Valerio Ciampicacigli

Lari Suominen

Jean-Baptiste Wallers-Bulot

Philipp Geist

Leo Kuelbs   

Craig Harvey    

SigmaSix

Răzvan Pascu

Peter Pusker

Hendrik Wendler                      

Pierre Emmanuel Reviron

Adela Muntean

Zalán Szakács

apethrash

Alexander Salvesen

AKA Collective

Peter Boocock

Coso Nero

Jere Suontausta

Matthew Biederman

Jaime Reyes

Pierre Vasarely

Xavi Bove

Zalán Adorján

Jacquet Yannick

Frank Geßner

Thorsten Bauer

Gábor Szűcs

Emilien Guesnard

Tatiana Halbach

Simon Lazarus

Simona Dimache

Joshua White

Luis Fernandes

Áron Tihanyi

Luis Rueda

Bram Lemaire

Hattie Morrison

Gyula Június

Bram Lemaiee

Danijel Šivinjski

Bastien Preudhomme

Pandelis Diamantides

Thomas Schielke

Marco Martinez

Gábor Karcis

Barbara Herold

Alina Rizescu

Florian Licht

Lab212 Collective

Mauricio Ramírez

F3 Studio

Maarten van der Glas

Peter Gusev

Aurora Gasull

Aleksei Lizunov

Jeroen Meijer

Anna Bacheva

Frances Sander

Pietro Cardarelli

Martina Stella

Paul Gerard O’Connor

Daniel Popescu

Frank Gessner

Azael Ferrer

Nicolas Saganias

Adam Hsieh

Leticia Barzilai

Peter Boocock

Matt Strong

Malo Lacroix

Gilles Flouret

Janne Ahola

Andrea Kovács

Eric Michel

Edgar Cherubini Lecuna

Vadim Epstein

Gellért Simon

Roger Malina

Alice Hinrichs

Klaus Wilhelm

Claudio Guerrieri

Erica Bernhard

Anna Møller

László Zsolt Bordos