The thirteenth edition of Amsterdam Light Festival will take place from 28 November 2024 to 19 January 2025, with the theme Rituals. Today we show the Dutch participants.
Divergent works on rituals by Dutch artists
The artist duo Vendel & De Wolf, now true festival veterans with six participations, are present with the work Encounter, which is inspired by a Perseid meteor swarm, a rare cosmic spectacle that has shaped countless rituals over the centuries.
Studio OSSO’s artwork Rush Hour nods to the chaotic, yet harmonious, ritual that comprises the daily capital rush hour, where bicycles, e-bikes, scooters and other two-wheelers call the shots.
Another Dutch artist, Wilhelmusvlug, whose work has also been shown several times, comes with In Bloom. This homage to the flowering process of plants and the symbolism of flowers in rituals such as funerals, weddings and fertility rites, shows colourful flower petals as in a balmy spring breeze blowing up over the canal.
Sculptural and projection works
Many of the works on the route have artistic value even in daylight. One example is Arnout Meijer’s Mirror Moon. This work connects the ritual significance of the moon with different rhythms and points of view from around the world. The four glass moons, two metres in diameter, are engraved with real phases of the moon, creating a new dynamic cycle.
Another work worth seeing both during the day and at night is Ciao! by Pim Drinkenburg. It consists of giant hands, made up of (light) lines, placed at two locations around Amsterdam’s Central Station. As a symbol of meeting, acquaintance and farewell, it is a very fitting location.
Jeroen Alexander Meier debuts this year with Mind Bridges. This is an artwork he created together with Amsterdam schoolchildren who were invited to come up with new rituals to ensure we pay more attention to each other. These rituals were captured with a 3D camera and every day a different ritual is projected on a bridge over the Herengracht.
This year, a total of 27 artworks by 23 artists will be on display. Of these, 23 works were created especially for the festival and have thus never been on display before. The art route can be experienced by sailing and walking.
Photography: Janus van den Eijnden
