umbra Light Festival second edition was held in the capital of the Basque Country, Vitoria-Gasteiz (Spain).
Lighting Festivals are well established in many countries, but not in Spain, where a large number of hours of sunlight are enjoyed.
Vitoria-Gasteiz, a small-medium sized city, has opted for Light Art as a social catalyst, betting on the celebration of the umbra Light Festival on an annual basis (unfortunately interrupted during the pandemic) and which will celebrate its third edition next February 2023.
In Spain, only Barcelona has a consolidated Lighting Festival, which gives Vitoria-Gasteiz a pioneering role.
With the motto “We want you to shine” umbra Light Festival helped citizens return to normality after the restrictions of the pandemic through Light Art.
Taking advantage of its important capacity for social communication, it was used to emphasize the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) promoted by the UN for 2030, this being the concept and message with which each of the Works of Art was generated.
20 lighting installations delighted more than 107,000 attendees (20% more attendees than in its first edition) of all ages who enjoyed the city transformed by the Art Works.
umbra Light Festival has established itself as a social catalyst that involves Administrations, Schools, Private Companies… and is a motor for the development of Light Art in Art schools and a new visibility and work space for Basque and Spanish and International Artists.
Of course it is also an economic engine that activates the businesses of the city in a winterly “valley period”.
And one of the Light Festival main objectives is to raise awareness in society about the importance of using light in its proper measure, giving importance to the shadow. Thats why its name = umbra.
