Astera lights UMBRA Festival installation
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The vibrant and highly multicultural historical capital city and seat of government of the Basque Autonomous Community in Alava, northern Spain, came alive for three days, offering creatives, visitors and lighting enthusiasts from all over Spain, Europe and much further afield a chance to redefine the city and see it in some new, exciting and reimagined urban contexts.
UMBRA was organised by ARGIA 3 Asociación Cultural and curated by a new collective comprising Rafael Gallego, the principal of Aureolighting, Joaquín Pérez-Goicoechea, founding partner of AGi Architects and stage lighting designer, light artist, and founder of Studio & Light Carlos Torrijos – three individuals, all passionate about lighting.
One of the technical sponsors was EES, Astera’s Spanish distributor who are based in San Sebastian. They made the AX1’s available which were utilised by Carlos Torrijos for his own work at the festival, Buscando la Vida (Searching for Life).
Buscando la Vida was staged in the former water reservoir next to the Palacio Montehermoso, a 16th century stately Renaissance building - one of two special underground spaces that became immersive light works during the event.
The Palacio was linked to the ancient Depósito de Aguas (water tank) by an underground corridor added in 1885. Since 1991 Palacio Montehermoso has served as a cultural centre for the city and region, and during UMBRA this extensive underground corridor with its imposing vaulted architecture was opened to the public allowing them to access the 1.365 m² large hall of the former water reservoir.
Carlos Torrijos’ light-and-sound piece was based on vertical LED lines soaring from the floor, created with the AX1s stationed at strategic points around the vast area.
Their energy-conscious wireless battery powered operation was ideal, and even when standing in the open, the tubes became absorbed in the space. These illuminated the massive structural arches which were a masterpiece of Renaissance engineering. The movement of the light up and down the Astera tubes was inspired by the rise and fall of the water in the tank.
Reemphasizing the relationship between lighting and physical space, the work was also aimed at getting an emotional response from guests in terms of extracting the light everyone has within them from the ‘silence’ that is so often the norm.
It was the first time Carlos had used an Astera product and was impressed with the results, reckoning that the AX1s are an “original and different” light source with “great possibilities” for light art installations like this, and for more conventional entertainment-based applications.
The first UMBRA Light Festival was a success, pulling many people into Vitorio-Gastiez and creating a buzz of excitement and creativity, and boosting an appreciation of the many unifying effects of lighting on social interaction.
(Jim Evans)
