Light Installations at the Stavros Niarchos Park

In the Stavros Niarchos Park, four light installation of renowned foreign creators (Light Piano by Arion de Munck and Mark Ridder, Submergence by Squidsoup, Halo by Venividimultiplex, Light Holders by Jonas Vorwerk) and a Greek entry, POMPE, by George Nikas and Eleni Maragaki, that was selected, for the first time, through an open call, create - once more - a fairytalelike, Christmas setting.

Large-scale Light Installations, visible from a distance, created for  public space, engage in a dynamic conversation with the Park and offer visitors a unique, impressive experience, inviting them to interact and capture this whimsical experience. 

The Light Installations are accessible to people with disabilities.

Light Holders

Jonas Vorwerk (Wireframe, Netherlands)

Great Lawn

At the Great Lawn, visitors of the Stavros Niarchos Park meet a light installation that allows anyone to experience loop-based musical compositions. Light Holders acts as a tribute to the music lab of the 50’s and 60’s where experimentation with analogue magnetic tapes built the ground for modern music making. Vorwerk’s lab, however, is not an enclosed studios. It is out in the open, anywhere in the public space.

Its simple and elegant form together with vibrant light animations create a corresponding visual reflection of the soundscape lab created by the computer algorithm. The result is an unusual audiovisual spectacle which was awarded the Foederer Talent Award.

Light Holders adds to the Stavros Niarchos Park a new soundscape that electrifies Great Lawn’s atmosphere.

As a multi-talented artist, Jonas Vorwerk draws inspiration from both his experience in the electronic music scene and his training as an engineer. His creations frequently explore the ideas of repetition, interaction, chance and change. 

The works he creates often introduce surprising and playful overlaps between the physical and the digital. They are not meant for traditional white cube spaces, but rather for crowded streets, outdoor festivals or open landscapes. In these places they can not only be looked at, but also touched and experienced. 

HALO

Venividimultiplex (Light Art Collection, Netherlands)

Water Jets

The HALO directly refers to the sun as our greatest source of light and warmth that shapes the conditions for life on our planet. An actual HALO is an optical phenomenon produced by light interacting with crystals in the atmosphere. On a supernatural and cultural level the HALO has a universal place in emphasizing the sacred being. 

HALO interacts with its surroundings in all these ways. Its presence will lift the visitors up for precious moments and let them universally dream, once they encounter it at the Water Jets.

The ring actually consists of an overwhelming amount of alternately shorter and longer super slim light rays. When approached, the human presence triggers a unique motion in light that comes to its height when the HALO is fully lit.

Joost van Bergen, Dirk Schlebusch and Onne Walsmit have been working together since 2012 as Venividimultiplex, with the tagline ‘Let’s make things epic’. With their interdisciplinary and interactive installations, Venividimultiplex attempts to push the boundaries. 

LIGHT PIANO 2.0

Arion de Munck, Mark Ridder (Light Art Collection, Netherlands)

Pine Grove

The creation of the interactive installation Light Piano 2.0 which can be regarded as both an art work and a musical instrument, was inspired by the question ‘how can music and image become one?’ 

The cubes placed in this spatial composition are connected to the keys of the piano, creating together Light Piano 2.0. In this installation the sound of the piano is being mobilised and visualised, allowing the audience not only to play the piano but also to play the light. 

The result is a special kind of instrument that resonates with ears, eyes and heart. 

Artist collective Kleurbleur with key members Mark Ridder and Arion De Munck creates visual presence ranging from theatre and dance performance to exhibitions and company events. Each project has its own unique challenge, but the artists are always working on the crossroads of spatial- light- and interaction design intersecting with music, video-mapping and graphic design. 

Τhe Light Installation Light Piano 2.0 comes alive through the tunes of musicians Kostas Giaxoglou, Thanasis Valsamis, Thanos Kosmidi, Giorgos Lagoiannis and Dionysis Malior, at 19.00-20.30, on:

Saturday 11, 17, 24/12 & 07/01
Sunday 12, 18, 25/12 & 08/01
Monday 26/12 & 02/01
Tuesday 27/12 & 03/01
Wednesday 28/12 & 04/01
Thursday 29/12 & 05/01
Friday 23, 30/12 & 06/01

SUBMERGENCE

Squidsoup (Light Art Collection, United Kingdom)

Dome

Submergence uses many thousands of individual points of suspended light to create the impression of digital presence and movement within physical space. 

The installation transforms space into a hybrid environment where virtual and physical worlds coincide. 

The light moves through several movements, creating a semi-linear piece. Each movement has its own elements, atmosphere and responsiveness. They are also all open to one’s own interpretation.

Squidsoup are pioneers in the use of light, sound and technology to create installations. Their works have been seen by millions of people across the globe in art galleries and live events, festivals and solo exhibitions. They develop dynamic, immersive, walkthrough experiences, using massive arrays of individually addressable points of light to re-create virtual architecture and form, movement and presence, in a shared physical world.

POMPE

George Nikas, Eleni Maragaki (Greece)

Green Roofs

Through their installation, George Nikas and Eleni Maragaki invite the visitors of the Stavros Niarchos Park to participate in a different light procession that traverses both sides of the path to the SNFCC Lighthouse.

120 light columns, placed in accordance with a geometric grid, and in contrast with the natural greenery, work as a reminder of the human figure in a ritualistic procession.

Every column is illuminated by a clear, white light, inspired by the mystical and ritualistic character of ancient processions. The columns compose a work that explores the relationship between nature and structured space, human element and architecture, movement and pause.

The installation was commissioned by the SNFCC, following an open call. This year, for the first time, the SNFCC invited, through an open call, artists or artist groups based in Greece to participate with their own original work.

George Nikas has worked in architecture studios in Athens and has been awarded in national architectural contests. Since March 2021, he has been working at the Archaeological site of Mystra as an architect/restorer. At the same time, he works as a freelancer, undertaking private and public projects. 

Eleni Maragaki is a visual artist born in Athens. She studied Painting at the Athens School of Fine Arts and MA Fine Art in Central Saint Martins, UAL, with distinction, as a recipient of the Mona Hatoum Bursaries Award. Her artistic work focuses on various techniques such as sculpture, drawing, printmaking and video. She has received awards and distinctions from organizations such as Tate Modern, The Muse Gallery and the Maison/0 Sustainability Awards and has participated in exhibitions in Greece and abroad.

01/12/2022-08/01/2023, 17.00-00.00

The SNFCC Christmas World comes alive thanks to an exclusive grant by the Stavros Niarchos Foundation.