Polotsk Light Festival

Polotsk Light Festival - 2018

How was the first light festival in the north of Belarus

What is Polotsk
Light Festival?

Festival took place in the framework of Energy Days during City Day in Polotsk. Light installations appeared on city streets as well as thematic events held.

Polotsk Light Festival is a part of PubLiCity project, which is co-funded by the European Union within EU4Energy initiative.

Read more about PubLiCity

Festival in numbers

Light installations appeared on the streets

Thematic events took place during Festival

30K

Citizens and city guests visited the Festival of Light and the City Day in Polotsk

Within the Festival 10 light installations were placed on the streets of Polotsk. Six of them appeared due to the competition within the project, three of them were made by local schoolchildren and one of installations appeared after the master class for children together with the local Urban Design Center.

Photos made by Aelita Chervonnaya, Pavel Zaitsev, Igor Paznyak, Alfred Mikus, Andrey Martinkevich, Veloklub Versta, Museum of traditional hand weaving

More than a dozen of events
in the city and online

10 light installations

Will be placed on Polotsk streets

3D mapping

On the building of Hotel Dvina Watch how it was

Free night guided tours of the city centre

Citizens and guests of the Festival explored local attractions and light installations

Light shows and Light drawing workshops

We looked at the luminous at the dark installatoins, painted on the light screen with Theater "Dom Solntsa"

Evening in the museums

Nine museums of the Polotsk National Historical and Cultural Museum-Reserve had later opening hours

Holi festival of colours and glowing balloons

In Park of Culture and Recreation

Free night photography workshop

from the photographer Alfred Mikus

Festival menu

In 14 cafes and restaurants of the city

Fire and light show and light puppet performances

It was interesting both for children and adults Watch the photoreport

Light bike ride in the city centre

We spined the pedals along the night Polotsk! Watch photoreport

Contest in social networks "Best photo of the Light Festival"

Likes and energy-efficient prizes

Light flash mob

It was colorful!

Walk and talk tour about stars

We talked about stars and admired the starry sky over Polotsk

Music in the dark

The symphonic orchestra played classics hits in the dark

Weaving in twilight

An interactive illuminated guided tour in the local Museum of Traditional Weaving. Watch how it was

Their ideas of light installations were offered by students during the first light hackatoon at the Polotsk State University. Watch here how it was.

What installations appeared in the city

Breath

Author: Siarhei Navitski, light designer working in the area of video installations, VJ, 3D-mapping, audio and visual compositions, photography, light, robotics and music.

The installation is a huge tree with glowing multi-colored fruit. Inside each fruit there is a small plastic bag, a LED light strip and a ventilator. The LED lights make the plastic bags glow. The ventilators, operated through the Arduino microcontroller, let the air in and out of the plastic bags, thus creating the effect of heartbeat or lungs filling up with oxygen. The fruit glow and breathe, and each of us can find their reflection in our soul. Each fruit breathes in its own way. There are 12 types of breathing in total, equaling to the number of the Zodiac signs.

Light-Water

Authors: Vasilisa Metla, Karina Beliachyts, in cooperation with Unitary Enterprise "Polotskvodokanal"

Light and water are the essence of life. The installation seeks to put in focus the problem of how these resources are used. The installation is a pavilion formed by two benches. The benches are shaped as semi-circles and create a passage between them. The benches are girded by a wave-like construction that on a sunny day creates shade of an unusual shape. The installation is illuminated with the help of a warm LED strip light. At night, it attracts people who pass by and creates a special atmosphere around it. One of the entrances and a metal arch nearby are equipped with an atomizing system. On sunny days the light rays are refracted in the drops of water and create an interesting rainbow effect.

Time Loop

Authors: Valeriya Kashnikova, Andrey Kosyakov, Alexandr Stankevich,students of the Department of Architecture at the Faculty of Civil Engineering of the Polotsk State University

The installation is a symbolic way of making people think about two global challenges faced by the mankind – that is, preservation of historical heritage and climate change. The pavilion contains models of buildings made out of transparent materials. They symbolize the ghosts of the lost architectural memorials: Saint Sophia Cathedral, Saint Stephan Church, Transfiguration Church. Special lighting in the floor surface leads the visitors towards the models. The models become brighter as you approach them. The interplay of light on the floor of the pavilion is a reference to northern lights, or aurora borealis, which occurs due to the diffused sunlight and thick ozone layer over the poles. The use of LED lights helps to lower energy consumption of the installation, thus reducing the amount of hazardous substances and greenhouse gas emissions.

Ozone Sphere

Authors: Tatiana Tyapko and Aleksandra Kulakova, students of the Department of Architecture at the Faculty of Civil Engineering of the Polotsk State University.

Authors of this installation seek to raise awareness of the global problem of climate change caused by the ozone layer depletion. The idea is to convince people of the gravity of this challenge by creating a personal experience. The installation is a dome that represents the ozone layer. The dome is illuminated during the night. Only the fragments that imitate holes in the ozone layer remain dark. You can repair the ozone layer and light the dark fragments by pushing the buttons in the sphere nodes. The more people push the buttons, the lighter the dome shines, as if showing us that everything is still in our hands..

It's Easy

Author: Darya Akhrameika, designer and artist, graduate of the Minsk State Architecture and Building College, student of the Gerrit Rietveld Academy (Netherlands).

The installation demonstrates the benefits of using a bicycle as a green means of transportation. You can use the installation as an exercise bike, so there is direct physical contact with the audience. Spinning the pedals makes the image of Earth on the bicycle wheels light up.

Stars

Authors: Anastasia Nikitsina and Karina Kapunkina, students of the Architectural Faculty of the Belarusian National Technical University

The authors chose an eight-pointed star as the concept of their installation. The eight-pointed star symbolizes the link between the spiritual and the physical elements. The installation is for the most part made of pine, the tree of tranquility and high spirit. The lighting has a warm white color (2700-2500 K) with a familiar yellow tone. This color is comfortable and enjoyable for the human eye, as it is similar to that of sunlight in the early morning or before dawn. The scale and proportions of the installation also have a special meaning. The installation is slightly higher than an average person, so when you stand next to it, you can get the feeling of lightness, vastness, and flight.

City as seen by children, or mini-Polotsk

Authors: School teachers and schoolchildren of the Polotsk City and District

Installation "City as seen by children, or mini-Polotsk (Polotsk)" is dedicated to the Year of Native Land in Belarus. The installation features miniature models of buildings, memorials and historical sites that Polotsk schoolchildren associate with their native land. The project is deeply symbolic in its nature. It demonstrates the beauty of the Polotsk district and the love that its citizens feel for it. Next to the installation you will find an interactive play zone.

The Torch of Learning

Author: Aleksandr Shershnyov

One of the aims of the Polotsk school No. 16 is to promote sustainable use of resources. The school regularly participates in Energy Days conducted by the city of Polotsk as part of the Covenant of Mayors initiative and European Sustainable Energy Week.

For the Polotsk Light Festival, Aleksandr Shershnyov from the Polotsk school No.16 created an energy efficient street light "The Torch of Learning".

Our Motherland, Belarus

Authors: Teachers and students of Polotsk School No. 16

Polotsk school No.16 is famous for its art projects, creative ideas and great ambitions to be leaders in learning, sport and other areas of life. One of the aims of the school is to promote sustainable use of resources. No wonder that energy saving and responsible use of resources are among the main topics of interest both for teachers and schoolchildren. For a number of years, the school has been placing high in the regional contest Energomarafon (Energy Marathon). Posters and videos created by the schoolchildren motivate Polotsk citizens to use resources responsibly and demonstrate various ways of how to save energy, water and heat. School No.16 also takes part in Energy Days organized by the city as part of the Covenant of Mayors initiative and the European Sustainable Energy Week.

For this Light Festival, teachers and students of the school No.16 created a light installation "Our Motherland, Belarus".

Light(Re)Cycle

Authors: participants of workshops organized at the Polotsk State Senior High School together with the Centre for Urban Studies and Design (Novopolotsk)

The main idea of this installation is that you can create unique and unusual energy saving street lights with your own hands, using very simple materials and even secondary resources. At the workshops that took place on 21-22 August 2018, Polotsk schoolchildren, together with young architects, created several types of LED street lights from plastic bags and folders, wooden blocks and lamps.

Anastasia Nikitina

Author of Stars installation, student of the Belarusian National Technical University

The installation combines the Belarusian culture with environmental friendliness and energy efficiency. The materials were environmentally friendly: wood, glass and metal. This is my first experience of creating such an installation. I am glad that the local authorities and Interakcia Foundation helped to bring this idea to life and the installation remained standing after the festival. It's great that such events as the Festival of Light in Polotsk attract attention to regional cities.

Karina Belyachits and Vasilisa Metla in cooperation with the PolotskVodokanal

The authors of the installation of Light-Water, students of the Polotsk State University

Light and water are the basis of existence of life. With this installation, we want to draw the attention of visitors to the problem of consuming these resources.

We developed the installation concept on hakaton in March, and then we submitted this idea to the contest within the project. We are glad that we were able to realize the idea and an interesting object appeared in the city.

Alexander Stankevich, Valeria Kashnikova and Andrei Kosyakov

The authors of the installation of the Time Loop, students of the Polotsk State University

The idea of our installation is to show the lost monuments of Polotsk architecture. We believe that with the help of wood and simple LED tapes, you can create interesting and energy-efficient objects for urban space. For example, this installation consumes only 3 kilowatts per hour.

Tatyana Tyapko and Alexandra Kulakova

Authors of the installation Ozone sphere, students of the Polotsk State University

We wanted to draw the attention of citizens to the problem of climate change. Our installation is an ozone sphere with "holes" in it. When a man brings his hand to the "hole", it lights up. So we wanted to show that the fate of the planet is in our hands.

“

Polotsk schools have already been participating for five years in the Energy Days. This time the students together with the teachers presented four installations. Three of them the pupils did together with the teachers. And one more installation, self supporting LED light fixtures Light (Re) Cycle, was created during the master class from the local community of students-architects "Center for Urban Studies and Design."

— Natalia Tikhomirova, Education department methodist of the Polotsk District Executive Committee

Sergey Leuchenko

First Deputy Chairman of the Polotsk District Executive Committee

The light festival is a new format of events for us. Since 2012, together with Interakcia Foundation, we have held the Days of Energy in Polotsk, and this year we´ve decided to adopt the foreign experience and hold the event in such format. We wanted to interest everyone the young and adults with this festival. According to the reviews of citizens and guests of the city, we see that we succeeded.

Maria Porchuk

Project Manager of the EU Initiative of the Covenant of Mayors "Modernization of street lighting in the city of Chernovtsy" (Ukraine)

A similar project for the modernization of street lighting is being implemented in Chernovtsy. Now we are at the beginning of the journey and have come to learn from the experience of our Belarusian colleagues.

The Light Festival is an excellent format for working with the public. It is not enough to replace lamps in the street, you need to show the residents what light is like, how to use it and save it. We hope to hold such festoval in Chernovtsy.

3D - mapping on the building was showed for the first time during Light Festival in Polotsk. Watch video!

Filmed by Oly White

You can find photos of the visitors of Light Festival in Polotsk in social media with hashtags #Полоцк #ФестивальСвета #EUforBelarus #ЕСдляБеларусі

Congratulations to winners of photo contest - VK user Anna Kishkurno and Instagram user @mamaria_hope.

During the Festival, visitors voted for the most environmentally friendly installation. In total 207 people voted, Stars installation won. Congratulations!

The Light Festival in Polotsk is among the most famous light festivals in the world in the calendar of Light Urban Community International

We are thankful to everyone who has been with us before and throughout the Festival

Delegation of the European Union in Belarus
Polotsk Regional Executive Committee
KUP "Housing and communal services in Polotsk"
The branch "Polotsk electrical networks" of RUE "Vitebskenergo"
UE Polotskvodokanal
Center for Urban Studies and Design and personally Tatyana Tereshchenko and Andrey Verigo
Tourist center of Polotsk
Polotsk National Museum-Reserve

Polotski vestnik newspaper
Web site gorod214.by and personally Alexander Ermats and Aelita Chervonne

Authors of installations:

Sergei Novitsky, Vasilisa Metla, Karina Belyachits, Tatyana Tyapko, Alexander Kulakov, Daria Akhrameyko, Anastasia Nikitin, Karin Kapunkin, Valery Kashnikov, Alexander Stankevich, Andrey Kosyakov, Alexander Shershnev, Natalia Tikhomirov, teachers and pupils of the Polotsk and Polotsk schools.

For 3D-mapping: GrandLight Studio, Pavel Plakh and Julia Kovyazin and Alexander Bobelya

Those who did "vivid" events:
Theater "House of the Sun" and Galina Savelieva
Cinema "Rodina"
Velodok Cycling Club
Polotsk Branch of the Belarusian Republican Youth Union
Timofey Avilina and Oksana Kozel
Alfred Mikus

Alfabot.xyz and personally Alain Yaskevich and Alexander Shilyaev for Telegram-bot
Podrugadruga and Dina Leonov for design and Capital for printing materials

What is Energy Days

Light Festival in Polotsk took place within the framework of Energy Days. The events have been hold since 2012 as the first signatory of Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy in Belarus. These events promote the idea of energy sufficiency among citizens.

Energy Days take place every year in Europe during Sustainable Energy Days.

Still got questions?

Marina Borisova

Communication & Visibility Manager of the PubLiCity project
Telephone: +375 29 873 35 82
E-mail: borisova@eu-belarus.net

Project "PubLiCity" is funded by the European Union within the framework of EU4Energy initiative.
The EU4Energy Initiative covers all EU support to improve energy supply, security and connectivity, as well as to promote energy efficiency and the use of renewables in the Eastern Partner countries Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine. It does this by financing projects and programmes that help to reform energy markets and to reduce national energy dependence and consumption. Over the longer term, this makes energy supply more reliable, transparent and affordable, thus reducing energy poverty and energy bills for both citizens and the private sector.More information on: www.EU4Energy.eu.

This publication has been produced with the assistance of the European Union in the framework of the EU4Energy Initiative. The contents are the sole responsibility of Local Foundation for Promotion of International Dialogue and Cooperation 'Interakcia' and can in no way be taken to reflect the views of the European Union.