LichtRouten is an international forum of artificial light in fine arts and contemporary lighting design. The exhibition has been realized four times since 2002 in Luedenscheid and in 2010 the fifth edition takes place. In addition to the presentation of selected art and design positions in the public space, the aim of each edition is to extend the city’s image as a cross section of social contexts, industries, research and creativity. For ten days in September fifteen to twenty indoor and outdoor locations change their appearance and impact through light and shadow, reflection and projection.

Characteristic of all installations and interventions at the LichtRouten is the use of light as material or media. It includes the use of luminaries, measurements and control techniques. Artists use well established (sometimes even outdated) and the latest lighting technologies to process forms and to express ideas and concepts. In their artistic research sometimes they even add to developments and applications of contemporary lighting design, luminary technologies and projection systems. The interventions are not just an illumination of the outstanding monuments of the city as the conceptual approach is based on an artistic investigation including esthetical, architectural and urban planning as much as sociocultural, environmental and economical aspects.

International artists and lighting designers followed the invitation to take part in the LichtRouten. Among them are Gustavo Avilés, Uwe Belzner and Andrew Holmes, Danica Dakić, Sanja Iveković, Magadalena Jetelová, Klaus Geldmacher, Daniel Hausig, Stefan Hofmann, Nan Hoover, Kazuo Katase, Uwe Knappschneider, Thomas Koener, Mischa Kuball, Christina Kubisch, Francesco Mariotti, Aurelia Mihai, Achim Mohné, molitor + kuzmin , Neringa Naujokaite, Tatsuro Niscino, Klaus Obermaier, Helmut Schweizer, Roman Signer, Jaan Toomik, Jan van Munster, Michel Verjux.

To maintain the vitality of the social core and foster the growth of the city centers at a walkable, enjoyable scale, the installations add qualities to the city’s center, reconfigure fragmented public spaces and offer new reasons to come, to stay and to review life.