On the central alley in the park of the Cultural Center of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation, there is a “Parade” that starts this afternoon. These are 120 light pillars, which, arranged in accordance with a geometric grid, silently accompany those who go to the Lighthouse. Climbing the path, there is a feeling that the pure light emitted by each column mentally connects with the crowd and traffic on the central streets of the city, and at the same time creates its own reality, metaphysical and fabulous.

“We were inspired by the existing geometry and architecture of the space,” two of the creators of The Procession, architect Giorgos Nikas and visual artist Eleni Maragaki, tell K. Their work, one of five impressive light installations presented at SNFCC Park on the occasion of the Christmas holidays, enhances the concept of the march and highlights the visitor’s long journey between the green roofs. “Our goal was to create a visual event that is activated and completed by the presence of people,” they comment, “and the lighting fixtures allude to human figures accompanying visitors in this ritual process.”

Among the most interesting elements of this particular installation is its severity and purity, a series of vertical lines that take a break from the storm of festive “polylogy”, creating a kind of pause. Here, architectural precision clashes with the soft character of the vegetation and speaks harmoniously with the prudence of the natural landscape.

“The luminous bodies allude to the human figures accompanying the visitors,” say the creators of The Procession.

The opposite of this visual approach, but with equally strong elements, is the light installation “Light Holders” by the Dutch multimedia artist Jonas Vorgerk. In three huge “rings” created by him in Xefoto, which from afar resemble spaceships with all their lights or a dance floor with photo rhythms from the 80s, Vorgerk invites us to play with light and sounds. “I’m a visual artist, but I have a musical background,” he tells us. “My relationship with electronic music has been decades-long, we have a record label with friends, and I’ve been a DJ for over 30 years.”

So inspired by the loops and squeaks of the DJ, he created a project that is a tribute to the studios where music was born in the 1950s and 1960s, when experiments with analog magnetic tapes laid the foundations of modern musical style. creation. However, his own “studio” is not closed, but functions in a public space as a minimalist soundscape, inviting visitors to inhabit it and shape it to their liking.

The water jets feature the work “Halo” by Venividimultiplex, a “halo” consisting of a ring with many delicate rays of light of different lengths. As soon as the viewer approaches, the play with light begins, which ends when the ring of light is fully illuminated. The interactive installation “Light Piano 2.0” is located in Pefkonas, and Arion de Munch and Mark Rieder, the main members of the Kleurbleur art collective, create a very special musical instrument that touches the ears, eyes and heart. Finally, Squidsoup “Submergence” was installed in the Dome. Here, thousands of individual lights have been suspended in such a way as to create a sense of digital presence and movement in physical space.

The commissioning and placement of art and light installations in the Nercu Park is taking place this year for the sixth year in a row and the projects will be valid until 8.1.