Submit your application no later than June 27, 2022

Send to: opencall@copenhagenlightfestival.org

Topic: Open call 2023, [your name], [name of your installation / project]

Read more about requirements and process below.

Open call

Copenhagen Light Festival would like to exhibit a broad range of light art and installations during its three-week duration. The festival utilises the fact that Copenhagen is one of the darkest cities in Europe during the winter months, and we want to harness this unique quality for architectural and artistical or experiential light pieces and illuminated elements in the cityscape. We want to have both impressive large-scale pieces and smaller, more subtle and thought-provoking experiences in our repertoire. A piece will typically consist of a separate illuminated object outside or a light source illuminating an existing building or square. A light installation can also be a light-based interaction or a projection that changes the surroundings. All pieces must be viewable from a distance and give the observer a clear and impactful experience. It is especially important to control the light intensity and scale carefully, so the audience will get the full impact of the experience. Please take into consideration that the February weather in Copenhagen may be cold and rainy. All light installations must both have aesthetic qualities and be sturdy enough to last for the entire three-week duration of the festival.

We assume that your work will be based on sustainable technology unless you are specifically making an artistic statement by not doing so.

As an applicant for the festival, you can apply for full funding, partial funding, creative sparring, technical support and/or networking with potential hosts. We draw upon our contacts and large platform in order to create dynamic collaborations that are beneficial for everyone to the greatest extent possible.

Your contribution will be reviewed by our Curator Committee, which consists of experienced professionals within the spheres of lighting design, architecture and art history. Every application is processed in a confidential manner. During the evaluation period, you may be invited to a conversation about the development and realisation of your project.

Light installation placements

The core areas of the festival are located alongside the Copenhagen Harbour, the Copenhagen Canals and along Kulturaksen (the “cultural axis” on the line from the Glyptotek to St. Nicholas Church). From here, it is spread out in a manner that creates natural routes along the waterfront and in the old parts of town. The central part of the festival is supplemented by satellite areas in the bridge quarters and in the urban development areas. Among other things, the Curator Committee is responsible for distributing funds in order to create a festival area so full of experiences that people can glimpse the next piece from the one they are standing at.

Your light installation does not necessarily need to have a single predefined location. If a light installation receives funding, the festival will assist with finding an appropriate location and host (if necessary). In these cases, it is an advantage to describe the optimal environment for achieving the desired effect.

Download the map of core areas below. There are many good places in the city to place installations but you can use it to get inspired or choose to focus on one of the suggested places on the map.