The Cultural Radiance project unites European partners to transform neglected spaces into cultural landmarks through the medium of light art. Drawing on light’s universal associations with hope, renewal, and resilience, the initiative reimagines forgotten sites such as industrial complexes, vacant buildings, and overgrown gardens. These spaces are revitalized with immersive installations that invite communities to reconnect with their cultural heritage while exploring new artistic expressions.
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In collaboration with partners like Colloc Productions (Hungary), Public Art Lab (Germany), Sérum (Slovakia), and Valoparta Oy (Finland), the project supports artist residencies, workshops, and light festivals, fostering cross-border collaboration and audience engagement. By showcasing light art as an accessible and transformative cultural medium, Cultural Radiance underscores Europe’s shared values of inclusion, sustainability, and innovation.
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The project is co-funded by Creative Europe Programm of the European Union.
workshop
Light Art Mentor Workshop
As part of the Cultural Radiance project, Public Art Lab will host the Light Art Mentor Workshop, a three-day programme in Berlin focused on guiding and inspiring young light artists. Bringing together various participants, this workshop will explore innovative light art creation techniques and ways to transform cultural heritage sites into “future heritage” spaces. Public Art Lab will partner with the Collegium Hungaricum Berlin (CHB) for this event, utilizing CHB’s media facade and its proximity to Berlin’s heritage sites.
Invitation
'Light as a medium of transformation and regeneration
of abandoned urban spaces'
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Public Panels | Screenings | Light Art Pitch | Network Even
We are pleased to invite you to the Public Event Light as a Medium of Transformation and Regeneration of Abandoned Urban Spaces, the highlight of the three-day Light Art Workshop,
taking place from January 29-31.
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This Public Event will bring together 20 European light artists, curators, and festival organizers to explore the transformative potential of light festivals. Participants will engage in dynamic discussions and collaborate on creative solutions for revitalizing abandoned urban spaces through innovative light installations. The Public Event is part of the Cultural Radiance project, which is co-funded by the Creative Europe programme of the European Union.
31 January,
16.00-22.00
Collegium Hungaricum Berlin
Dorotheenstr. 12 - 10117 Berlin
hosted by
Public Art Lab | COLLOC Productions |Sérum | VALOPARTA O
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31 January 2025
16:00-22:00
Illuminating Connections – A Public Showcase of Light and Art
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16:00-16.30
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Welcome
by Dr. Márta Nagy, director of Collegium Hungaricum Berlin (tbc)
by Barbara Gessler, head of European Commission Berlin (tbc)
Intoduction to the Cultural Radiance project
by Mátyás Kálmán, head of Colloc, project lead of Cultural Radiance
by Susa Pop, Public Art Lab, organiser of the Light Art Workshop
by Kari Kola, director of Valoparta Oy
by Gábor Szűcs, director of Sérum
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16:30-17:15
17:15-17:30 QA
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Panel 1: How Light Art Can Regenerate Abandoned Spaces
Bettina Pelz, light art curator
Katja Aßmann, artistic director of Spreepark Art Space Berlin (tbc)
Kari Kola, director of Valoparta Oy
Matyas Kálmán, director Colloc
Light Artist from the Workshop
moderated by Ela Kagel, Platform Cooperatives Germany eG
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17:30-18:15
18:15-18:30 QA
Panel 2: Sharing Light Art Practices
Sahar Homami, media art and light artist
Stefan Kraus, Node Institute
Light Artists from the Workshop
moderated by Harshini Karunaratna (tbc)
18:30-19:30
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Public Pitch of the light artists of the Light Art Workshop Cultural Radiance
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19:30-22:30
Networking Session
Get together with drinks, fingerfood, live DJ
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19:30-20:30
Public Exhibition: Light Expressions
The Media Window of Collegium Hungaricum opens to the public, showcasing the light art works of the partners, curators and artists.
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22:30
End
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PARTICIPANTS
The workshop brings together artists, designers, and creatives from across Europe to collaborate and learn from one another. It offers a unique opportunity to share ideas, explore new methods, and contribute to the transformation of cultural heritage. The participants represent a dynamic mix of emerging talent and diverse perspectives, making this an inspiring event for all involved. Below are the talented individuals participating in this workshop:
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Dóra Szentpéteri
Dóra Szentpéteri (1999) is a Hungarian-Serbian visual artist with a background in graphic design. She completed her master's studies at The University of Pécs in 2024. During her studies, she also spent time in Rovaniemi, Finland, focusing on audiovisual media and textile design. Her work merges illustration and light art, an interest sparked by her participation in the Zsolnay Light Festival, where she created the "light carpet" installation. Furthermore, she explores how light can transform spaces and connect people while blending her skills in illustration, stop-motion, and pixel graphics with technical solutions. Dóra approaches light art with a designer's mindset, aiming to merge functionality with creativity. She is motivated by collaboration with other artists and the creative process of each project.
David Salamon
David Salamon is an interdisciplinary creator working at the intersection of art, design and technology.
In his design practice, David creates collectible lighting objects, interactive museum exhibits and kinetic installations.
As a versatile designer-artist with a background in both art and engineering, he defines his work as poetry meeting technology. The recurring goal of his works is to capture the imagination of the beholder – both emotionally and intellectually.
David earned a BSc in IT at the Budapest University of Technology in 2014 and an MA in Design from the Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design in 2023.
Bon Kim
Bon Kim is an artist based in South Korea and Germany whose work explores the boundaries between the living and non-living through performative installations and new media. Her practice integrates thermal phenomena, sculpture, performance, and the body. Her recent featured works include A Chair for Co-responding exhibited at Ars Electronica and the Brixen Water Light Festival and Mourning Heat (열곡(熱å“)) exhibited the KIKK Festival and the Liege IMPACT Festival. She is the recipient of a grant from the Art Council Korea in the multidisciplinary section in 2024 and 2025.
Bianca Streich
Bianca Streich is a Berlin-based designer and artist known for her innovative work using sustainable materials. She studied Product Design at the University of Applied Sciences in Potsdam, the Academy of Arts and Design Jerusalem and the Academy of Arts Berlin Weißensee. Holds a postgraduate in research from the Isec in Lisbon and a master’s degree in New Materials from Elisava.
Bianca’s commitment to sustainability and conceptual design is merging art with environmental awareness. In search of new alternatives, Bianca questions existing structures by experimentation as well as strategic thinking and advocates for innovative future scenarios. She has exhibited works in Switzerland, Austria, Spain, Germany, Israel and Singapore and taught workshops in Switzerland, France and Italy. She was honored as one of the Best German Design Graduates in 2021, awarded the Sessùn Craft Prize 2023, and nominated for the German Design NEWCOMER Award 2023.
Alejandro Mosso
Alejandro Mosso is an Argentinian electronic music composer, producer, and live performer as well as a sound installation artist currently based in Berlin. A prolific artist with a vast discography of more than 45 EPs and 8 albums for world-renowned labels since 2002. As a worldwide touring musician, he has performed his live set across North & South America, Europe, Africa, and Asia.
In 2020 he obtained a master’s degree in Sound Studies and Sonic Arts from the University of the Arts Berlin, expanding his career into the world of sound art,
presenting sound and light installation works in art galleries across Berlin, and releasing various experimental and 3D immersive audio projects. A multifaceted
artist constantly broadening his field of work.
https://www.alejandromosso.com/
https://www.facebook.com/AlejandroMossoMusic/
https://www.instagram.com/alejandromossomusic/
https://soundcloud.com/alejandro-mosso
Alessandra
Saco-Verti
Alessandra Saco-Vértiz (2000) is a visual artist whose work explores the representation of the body through concepts such as hybridization, abjection, and the relationship between the organic and the artificial. She holds a degree in Fine Arts and a Master's in Artistic Production from the Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV). Originally from Peru, she began her studies in painting at the Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú (PUCP) before moving to Valencia, Spain.
Her practice, which combines painting and sculpture, explores the poetic qualities of materials such as light, polyurethane foam, and plastic. Through these materials, she creates sculptural pieces that question the boundaries, contrasts, and coexistence between the corporeal and the digital. Through research and analysis, Alessandra’s work seeks to explore perceptions of the body, its transformations, and its relationship to both the physical and virtual habitats.
Bence Szolgay
Bence Szolgay (born 2005, Slovakia) is a student at the Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava.
He was introduced to the intricacies of video mapping and new media by his mentor, painter and media artist Gábor Szűcs. In recent years, Bence has participated in the Sérum Light Festival in Slovakia, Šamorín multiple times, with 2024 marking his third appearance. He brought the cultural center building in his hometown to life with vibrant light projections, enhanced by his original musical compositions.
Bence thrives on experimenting with his installations, yet it is the active viewer who truly brings them to life. In 2023 and 2024, his light projections were not only featured at Slovakia’s largest Hungarian festival, the Gombaszög Summer Camp, but also showcased during performances by alternative artists and bands. His work transforms sound into imagery, with organic forms, hazy, mysterious shapes, and mesmerizing loops taking center stage in his light-painted compositions for audio performances.
His light shows are seamlessly synchronized with the rhythms and soundscapes envisioned by DJs, creating a unique and immersive experience that radiates an extraordinary light energy to his audience.
Aws Abusalah
Aws Abusalah is an architect and street artist from Amman, Jordan. His work explores multiple perspectives and views, transforming simple shapes into art pieces defined by light and values. He believes in the seamless integration of design across various disciplines—from building construction and lighting to illustration and branding—pushing the limits of design, perspective, and storytelling.
Julien Taïb
Julien Taïb studied cinema and has, over the last twenty years, established an ecosystem of production and dissemination in favour of contemporary digital practices and arts in Ile de France and internationally (notably through the Némo Festival, now a Biennale in Paris).
Producer for Crossed Lab and exhibition curator, he initiates, cooperates, supports installation projects, exhibitions, conferences, workshops relevant to digital cultures (Light art, electronic and exploratory music, contemporary art, digital practices) he sometimes teaches in university and schools of fine arts. He also works on the link cultures, urbanism and sustainable development.
Jouni “Psyke” Väänänen
Jouni “Psyke” Väänänen is an awarded graffiti artist and curator from Finland. He’s also the executive creative director of Purkutaide, an artist collective that creates massive exhibitions in demolition buildings and other empty urban spaces. In the field of light art Väänänen focuses on creating blacklight reactive letter installations and murals. His artworks have been featured on most of the biggest Finnish light art festivals over the years.
Jon Astorquiza
Jon Astorquiza is a multidisciplinary artist and cultural project manager focused on innovative artistic experiences. With a degree in Fine Arts and a Master in Cultural Business Management, he has directed the Technarte International Art and Technology Conferences in Bilbao and Los Angeles for more than 10 years, connecting artists who fuse art, science and technology. Throughout his career, he has led high-impact cultural projects, such as artist residencies in Antarctica and at the Roque de los Muchachos Astronomical Observatory, as well as curating digital art exhibitions. In 2018 he founded elektrArt, an artistic collective creating immersive digital art and light art installations. His work has been awarded by the Ministry of Culture of Spain as one of the three best national innovation projects in 2019, and has received the Aixe Getxo Visual Art award in 2020. He also advises companies and cultural institutions in their transition towards innovative models in art and culture.
Ioannis Oriwol
Ioannis Oriwol creates site-sensitive light installations that explore the common grounds between organic and technological forms. Intervening at the intersection of scenography and sculpture, he transforms found objects and industrial elements into ambiguousenvironments. These manifest as autonomous habitats where the distinction between installation and surroundings, between observer and observed, begins to blur.
He studied Intermedia/Cyberarts at Concordia University in Montreal and Media Art and Design at Bauhaus University Weimar, where he is currently completing his Fine Art diploma. His work has been exhibited at venues including the Schiller Museum Weimar, Leipziger Baumwollspinnerei, and Jenaer Kunstverein, and he was selected for artist residencies at Theater Erfurt and Adelsheim Leuchtet in 2024.
Harshini J. Karunaratne
Harshini J. Karunaratne (they/she) is a Sri Lankan-Peruvian digital artist working at the intersections of film, theatre and technology. Rooted in a practice of artistic research and performance, they develop projects that explore themes of eco-grief, gender, the body and afterlife.
Harshini has had their work shown in the UAE, Italy, Germany, Japan, Peru, at the FILE Festival in Sao Paulo, Burning Man in Nevada, the Athens Digital Art Festival, and at Art Dubai. Based in Berlin, Harshini is the organizer and lead curator for MANIFEST:IO, a symposium for new media and electronic art that launched in Berlin in February 2023.
Göknur Kayır
Göknur Kayır is a Berlin-based architect and lighting designer. After starting her career in architecture, she gained experience in organizing and evaluating architectural design competitions and played an active role in workshops focused on cities and public spaces. Her passion for the transformative power of light led her to transition into lighting design, where she now focuses on creating innovative and thoughtful lighting solutions. With a foundation in both architecture and lighting design, Göknur is dedicated to enhancing spatial experiences and exploring the intersection of interaction, space, and light.
Eszter Nagy
Eszter Nagy (1997) is an audiovisual designer and visual researcher working in the field of the
representation of working classes and the material culture of everyday life. Her practice is based
on interacting with communities and understanding their habits and meeting points. She has
been a motion designer and collaborated Studio Raito to create light projections and live visuals
for Dekmantel, Lente Kabinet, and DGTL. Eszter obtained a degree from Moholy-Nagy University
of Art and Design (BA, Media Design) in 2022 and from the Royal Academy of Art, the Hague
(MA, Non Linear Narrative) in 2023
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eszternagy.eu
Einari Leskinen
Einari Leskinen is a Finland-based artist working at the intersection of light art, sculpture, and installation. He explores the interplay of light, color, and darkness as central elements of experience. Combining materials such as wood, plaster, and 3D-printed forms with lighting technologies, his works experiment boundaries of form and perception in contemporary art.
Slava Romanov
Slava Romanov is a data artist and multimedia developer based in Bremen, specializing in generative graphics, interactive installations, performances, and auditory displays. With a human rights and data journalism background, he explores the interplay of activism, art, and technology. He is currently completing his Digital Media M.A. at the University of the Arts Bremen. His internationally exhibited work investigates language, socio-political processes, and immersive interaction, aiming to balance chaos and order while challenging perspectives on memory, perception, and collective narratives.
Markus Kivistö
Markus Kivistö is an event and light technician specializing in the creation of unique events in unconventional locations. His work has featured medieval castle, old docks and abandoned golf courses, where industrial aesthetics and the beauty of nature combine to create unforgettable experiences.
Markus is particularly interested in challenging environments, where he can harness the moods and visual effects created by light.
Stavrianos Skalidis
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Katariina Kirves
Katariina Kirves is a Finnish artist with a background in graphic design. She is currently studying Fine Arts at Tampere University of Applied Sciences. She creates a wide variety of art forms, but recently she has focused on light sculptures and media art, combining traditional painting with movement synchronized to music. She explores many different materials and has been trying to find ecological solutions for her art using recycled and natural materials. Her works have been exhibited in various exhibitions and light events.
Zalan Adorjan
Zalán Adorján is an industrial design and lumino-kinematic engineer who transforms complex ideas into innovative technological art. His expertise lies in creating interactive installations and mechanical systems that seamlessly blend creativity with advanced technical solutions. By integrating design, engineering, and artistic vision, he develops projects that challenge traditional boundaries and offer unique visual experiences. His approach focuses on comprehensive project development, from conceptualization to final execution. For Adorján, design is about reimagining possibilities and bringing transformative ideas to life.
EVENTS AND PARTNERS
COLLOC
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COLLOC Productions, established in 2013 under the leadership of Mátyás Kálmán, is a Budapest-based multimedia company renowned for its pioneering approach to visual storytelling and light art. The company’s versatile portfolio includes transformative installations, documentary films and impactful video projects for NGOs and major brands such as UNHCR, the Helsinki Committee, Bosch, Egis, Richter, and Coca Cola.
Together with Centrum Productions notable achievements include large-scale projection mappings for the 60th anniversary of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution, and the 2022 Light Garden exhibition in Hungary’s Botanical Garden, which transformed natural environments into mesmerizing artistic displays. COLLOC and Centrum were also instrumental in founding and curating the visual program of the INOTA audiovisual festival.
In 2024, the two company organized the Fénydóm/Lightdome exhibitions in Budapest’s Biodome, attracting over 57,000 visitors throughout the two events.
SÉRUM
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Sérum is an NGO whose main activity is the organization of Sérum light festival. The festival has been organized with the help of locals, artitst, for the first time in 2021, also in 2022 and for the third time organized on several different places in the city of Samorin. During the light art event our main goal is to present innovative light art works during a week long exhibition, also installations, interactive light installations etc. with several international artist. The first time we hosted a lecture by László Zsolt Bordos about the history of light art and videomapping. In 2023 we hosted a lecture by Zsolt Gyenes about analog light art studies, glitch art. We had also videomapping works on several facades in the city of Samorin, audiovisual performances and the 3rd Sérum was hosting a light art related workshop for kids as well.
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PUBLIC ART LAB
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Public Art Lab (PAL) is a Berlin based and globally networked non-profit organisation for urban media art that investigates, curates, and produces artistic projects in the urban public sphere at the intersection of media arts, urban planning and creative technologies. PAL is specialised in digital placemaking, creative citymaking, citizen science, art and climate change and connecting people and places through artistic interventions.
The projects are generated in an action research and open co-design process with stakeholders to facilitate methodologies and strategies for community placemaking and neighbourhood building. These collaborations create co-design labs, community platforms, large-scale public interactive interventions, festivals and networks that enable shared encounters for cross-disciplinary exchange and knowledge transfer.
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Main projects: Mobile Studios (2006), Media Facades Festivals (2008/ 2010), Connecting Cities (2012-today). Urban Media Art Academy (2016-19), Future DiverCities (2022-26) Augmented Europe (2018/2022), Intelligent Landscapes (2022-23), Living Library for Nature Writing (2021-22), Connecting Cinemas in Rural Areas (2020-22), Digital Calligraffiti (2016-today), City Digital Skin Art Festival (2024), Climate Flags (2023-today)
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VALOPARTA
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The Valoparta OY is Kari Kola's company, founded by the renowned Finnish light artist with over two decades of experience in the field. His journey with light began as a way to combat the long, dark Finnish winters, transforming his fascination into a career that has spanned theatre, symphonic orchestras, exhibitions, and monumental outdoor projects. Kari has led over 2,000 projects, including creating light installations for UNESCO headquarters in Paris and the iconic Stonehenge, often working under extreme conditions, from freezing -45°C to scorching +45°C.
Kari’s work emphasizes the transformative power of light to draw attention to unique and vulnerable sites, merging technical expertise and artistic vision. As both a Technical and Artistic Leader, he has spearheaded numerous international productions, from operas to multi-art performances. His vision continues to push the boundaries of light art, exploring new dimensions and scales to spotlight values, cities, and heritage through his luminous creations.
LIGHT ART TALKS
Light Art Talks – Coming Soon!
Stay tuned for more details about our upcoming Light Art Talks, a series of engaging discussions exploring the diverse facets of light art and its cultural and societal impact. These talks will bring together experts from across Europe and beyond, including light artists, curators, cultural heritage historians, architects, designers, and ITC specialists.