Bright Brussels returns with a sparkling fifth edition
Bright Brussels, Festival of Light is back for a special edition that will run for no less than 10 evenings from 28 October to 6 November 2021. Several of the capital's neighbourhoods will be brought to life thanks to two routes made up of 16 immersive and playful artistic works. It's a wonderful way to mark the start of autumn in our capital.
The pandemic made it impossible to organise the four-day festival in February 2021. But no matter! Bright is back this autumn for a special edition from 28 October to 6 November 2021. This year, the Royal and European Quarters will be illuminated by 16 luminous works of art from local and international artists for 10 consecutive evenings! What a positive way to enter the autumn season. There are two important collaborations for this anniversary edition: the European Parliament has joined the event and will host a light installation on Esplanade Solidarnosc 1980. It's a great opportunity for the public to discover the European Parliament's visitor installations in a whole new light. In addition, Belgium's Royal Palace on Place des Palais will be the scene of a large-scale mapping operation by Belgian artists. A first!
Last but not least, the festival will offer a fringe programme with various activities and entertainment. With night-time events in museums and shops, illuminated meetings for foodies, DJ sets and workshops, every evening will hold its share of surprises.
On the initiative of the Minister-President of the Brussels-Capital Region, Rudi Vervoort, and the Brussels Minister for Mobility and Public Works, Elke Van den Brandt, visit.brussels is coordinating the organisation of this event in the heart of the capital.
“Bright Brussels has been the big tourist attraction in recent years. It makes me proud to see how this event, produced by visit.brussels, has grown with every edition. For ten days, instead of the usual four, the people of Brussels and visitors to our region can wander through its various neighbourhoods and admire works by artists from Brussels and abroad, most of which have never been exhibited before. I wish everyone a wonderful journey through the streets of our capital as they discover the latest instalment of the Bright Brussels festival.” says Brussels' Minister-President Rudi Vervoort. “What a pleasure it is to be together again - after the long months of waiting - for these ten days of the Bright festival. This year, the people of Brussels and visitors from all over the world will be able to admire 16 immersive and playful artistic works along two routes through our city. It's the perfect way to enhance your early autumn walks and discover and rediscover our capital.” says Brussels Minister of Transport and Public Works Elke Van den Brandt.
The Artworks
Quartier royal
Chiaroscuro - Dirty Monitor (Belgium) – Royal Palace. An artistic video mapping performance by internationally renowned Belgian collective Dirty Monitor. Digital art and contemporary art meet to illuminate the Royal Palace and its heritage.
The magic garden of Mont des Arts - Magic Monkey (Belgium) - Mont des Arts. Magic Monkey showcases the Mont des Arts garden with a light and sound creation that places the audience at the heart of the experience. A unique, ethereal and hazy aerial installation.
Shining a light on Brussels Heritage - Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Arts Visuels de La Cambre - La Cambre School of Visual Arts (Belgium) – Garden of the Palace of the Academies. The La Cambre School of Visual Arts and visit-brussels are teaming up for the first time to showcase Brussels heritage through light installations created by the students. The 5 artworks will be visible in the garden of the Palace of the Academies.
Persistence of Times - Xavi Bové Studio (Spain) - Place du Grand Sablon. Persistence of Times is an installation that evokes how information is passed on and its persistence through time and in collective memory.
Halo - Tobias Zehntner (Switzerland/Denmark/Belgium) – Chapel Church. Halo is a minimal and poetic creation made of hanging lights that somersault above the audience.
LiminaLight – Antoine Goldschmit/Stib-Mivb (Belgium). Travellers on the STIB's metro lines 1 and 5 will be treated to a surprise between the Arts-Loi/Kunst-Wet and Parc/Park stops: their trip will be illuminated by a light show running the length of the tunnel between the two stations.
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The European Quarter
Firefly Field - Studio Toer (The Netherlands) - Square de Meeus. Firefly Field is a hypnotic light installation made up of many flying light spots which simulate the movements of fireflies.
HORIZON - Loïc Marafini (France) – Leopold Park (Garden of the Museum of Natural Sciences). Horizon is a sound and light show that draws inspiration from nature’s colour palette.
Lightbattle III - Venividimultiplex (The Netherlands) - Esplanade Solidarnosc 1980. Lightbattle III invites you to discover the Dutch cultural heritage of cycling in an original way. Under three interactive light arches, six bicycles face each other from one side to another. Visitors are invited to take a seat in the installation and compete against each other.
The Wave - Vertigo (Belgium) – Cinquantenaire Park. The Wave is an 80m long immersive exhibit made of 40 doors that are sensitive to movement. Visitors walk through and around the installation and influence its auditory and visual content.
The Performer No5 - Ha Suk-jun (South Korea) - Square de Meeus. The Performer No5 is an installation with a solar panel supported by two sculptures in human form. Electricity, produced during the day with the solar panel, illuminates the statues at night (in collaboration with the Korean Cultural Center in Brussels).
Dites-le avec des fleurs - Allumeurs d’images # Spectaculaires (France) – Leopold Park. Dites-le avec des fleurs is an installation by the "Facéties" family developed by Olivier Davy and Les Allumeurs d'Images within Spectaculaires. For the Léopold Park, it's an installation with a poetic tone based on 9 giant flowers, around 6m high.
CUBE3 - Ofer Smilansky and Antoine Goldschmidt (Belgium) – Cinquantenaire Park. “Simplify, simplify some more and simplify again. And once you’ve simplified everything, simplify it even more”. This principle of apparent simplicity from architect Alphonse Balat guides the approach of the Brussels artists Ofer Smilansky and Antoine Goldschmidt, who present a monumental cube with mirrored faces.
The Fringe Programme
Bright Brussels also has a fringe programme. Brussels' Festival of Lights will be punctuated by numerous events open to all. Visitors who are keen on culture will be able to choose from various museums participating in the event. Food lovers will be able to stop at several great spots along the way to pick up a bite to eat. Shopping enthusiasts can take advantage of late evening openings in a number of shops.
The richness of this year’s programme, its exceptional ten-night duration, its many cultural and tourism partners, and the particular attention paid to mobility to and from the event are all parameters that make it possible to focus on Brussels, attract large numbers of visitors during this holiday period and contribute to the revival of sectors that badly need it.
The enclosed areas of the routes will only be accessible on presentation of a valid Covid Safe Ticket. Health measures will be applied for the rest of the event area.
For more information on the installations and activities, visit our Website (the website is regularly updated) Press contact: Noémie Wibail – n.wibail@visit.brussels - +32 490 49 43 84