Since its 300th birthday in 2015, the city of Karlsruhe and the ZKM I Centre for Art and Media Karlsruhe have presented the SCHLOSSLICHTSPIELE Light Festival every summer. International artist groups create projection mappings for the façade of Karlsruhe Palace, which can be experienced every evening over a period of several weeks. The SCHLOSSLICHTSPIELE provide long summer evenings in the heart of the city.
Every year, the SCHLOSSLICHTSPIELE Light Festival has a different thematic focus, to which new shows as well as a selection from the already existing 50 or so projections are dedicated. Besides the city and its history, these have so far focused, for example, on protecting the planet, architecture, technology, love and Europe. Karlsruhe institutions and stakeholders support the event, for example shows have already been developed with the support of the State Museum of Baden, the KIT Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, the University of Music as well as the State Museum of Natural History Karlsruhe.
To mark the 75th anniversary of the German Basic Law, the SCHLOSSLICHTSPIELE 2024 will be dedicated to the themes of justice, freedom and democracy under the motto "Everybody counts". Karlsruhe is the home of the Federal Constitutional Court and is considered the "residence of law". Alistair Hudson, Scientific-Artistic Chairman of the ZKM, says: “More than ever, as the world seems increasingly polarised and combative, we have to come together as a people, to meet together in one place, where we all have a voice, where we are all respected, where we are all heard. Being able to contribute and participate equally, with our rights intact and our hearts without fear, is the bedrock of democracy. This is a place where everybody counts.“
During the festival, other light installations, illuminations and media artworks will shine at various locations in the city, inviting visitors to explore Germany’s first UNESCO City of Media Arts (https://www.cityofmediaarts.de/en/homepage/) in a new light.
The festival is a free event that creates an open and exciting access to culture and media art for all people.
The festival is organised by KME Karlsruhe Marketing und Event GmbH.
