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Telling Stories
with light and darkness

Telling Stories with light and darkness

ILO, international Light Festivals Organisation, is a worldwide network of public light festivals, public light events and light art experts. It is an alliance of light festivals and experts sharing expertise, inspiration and information on an international level, encouraging networking and exchange of knowledge, experience and information and creating a platform for co-production, research and communication.

Why?

The aim is to enhance quality, strength and artistic content for participating light festivals and create awareness for light festivals and light art worldwide. Light festivals are events at the crossroads of art, design, technology and entertainment which gives them a very specific position from a festival point of view as well as in a cultural context and as a city marketing tool.

ILO wants to strengthen the position of light festivals on the level of artistic excellence and internationalization. Light festivals bring together an often very large but also very diverse and broad audience. Participants of ILO want to embrace this diversity and create festivals where there are as few boundaries as possible to have visitors get acquainted with art in public space.

Light festivals & light events

Inspiration

  • ILO connects dynamic minds from all over Europe and beyond, who are ready to engage, reflect and be inspired by each other’s experiences.
  • ILO highlights the development role of light festivals as they create an artist platform to experiment and take risks. This leads to new solutions, realities and bridging communities.
  • ILO promotes the role of light festivals as a pioneer of artistic creation and social relevance. They raise questions and share visions and narratives through artistic expressions.
  • Participants of ILO gain deeper insight into global light festival organization and curation and contribute to the story telling activity that light festivals create.

Networking and Collaboration

  • ILO connects light festival colleagues and partners from across the world, creating networking opportunities, in a physical and/or virtual way.
  • ILO offers its participants the opportunity to work together, learn from each other, creating alliances, trust and friendship and show solidarity in their support of one another.
  • ILO facilitates opportunities for successful artistic, productional, educational, financial partnerships.
  • ILO organizes an annual meeting in collaboration with one of its participants. Every year this will take place in another country.
  • ILO develops an ethical code for Light Festivals and Light Artist on respect for copyrights and inspiration.

Information and Communication

  • ILO ensures a continuous loop of information between the organization and its participants, the broad public and the media.
  • ILO informs participants about current trends and developments in festivals.
  • ILO provides contacts to the international cultural press, networks, ministries, public authorities and EU institutions.
  • ILO increases the visibility of participants by using a broad mix of communication tools and actions. Every participant will be brought to the attention of the international festival community.

Knowledge

  • ILO nurtures the exchange of knowledge and expertise through international programs, specifically aimed at the professional light festival managers, producers and curators.
  • ILO provides a platform to share experiences. ILO offers access to newly released materials and allows involvement in research activities.
  • Changes and new technology go fast in the field of lighting and light design. ILO can support and initiate new ideas, studies and implementations of technological innovations and new media.
  • ILO collects and shares data on light art, light festivals and light events.

Policy Development

  • ILO participates prominently in a wider political/economical/cultural debate to create opportunities for light festivals and light artists to connect their local needs to a broader European and international context.
  • ILO can initiate and intensify collaborations between participants’s festivals but also partners in the field of education, research, universities, technical support, etc.
  • By Investing in development and training and creating a strong, united vision on light art and light festivals, ILO generates better conditions for light art and light artists.

Sustainability

ILO SUSTAINABILITY MANIFESTO

All ILO members that have signed the ILO Sustainability Manifesto are committed to working towards fighting the climate crisis. As Light Festivals, we are all focusing on energy-efficient ways that will celebrate life and art in the city. Light events are great for social inclusion and social cohesion. They are central in making people feel a positive sense of place.

ILO works towards providing positive examples of empowering citizens by exchanging ideas and best practices. 

ENERGY

Energy is a precious resource; now more than ever, and as a signatory of the ILO Sustainability Manifesto, we are all committed to using the most efficient energy methods and working collectively towards a more sustainable, brighter future.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

ILO is working toward commissioning artists who consider the Sustainability of their artworks a priority or have imaginative ways of communicating to the public about Sustainability.
We encourage artists to engage the public in the conversation and implement change.

ILO CONTINUE TO ASK QUESTIONS

Can artworks be powered more sustainably?
Can location’s turn off lights to lower the power demands?
Can we show visitors new ways to consider a sustainable lifestyle?

ILO IS WORKING TOWARDS BETTER COMMUNICATION

ILO aims to communicate good work practices and ideas that promote positive alternatives, both creatively and socially. ILO is working creatively to promote positive change.

TRAVEL

We encourage audiences to carshare or use public transport to reduce the event’s carbon footprint.
We are asking our artists and participants to use more sustainable travelling methods.

ILO IS LOOKING AT WAYS TO CARBON OFFSET

Carbon offset. https://www.compensate.com

ILO BOARD

Kate Harvey

Chair

Marko Bolković

Secretary

Andrea Möller

Board member

Tamás Vaspöri

Treasurer

Frédérique Ter Brugge

Board member

Anastasia Isachsen

Board member

Birgit Lill Schnabl

Board member

Werner Zanotti

Board member

Andi Daiszler

Board member

BECOME A PART OF ILO

Do you run a festival? Are you a light artist?
Join our ILO community.