Technical Developments and Social Change
LichtRouten 2010 represents a connecting point between technical development and social change. Working and living conditions changed during the 19th and 20th centuries in the wake of industrialization. The codification of industrial work was accompanied by socio-cultural and urban space changes that were also shaped by a major contribution from art, design and architecture. Halls were built for machinery and production, new types of residential forms and quarters were developed and socio-cultural venues such as places of assembly and facilities for sports, education and events were redesigned. This resulted in changes in the urban environment as a living and working space that still characterize the appearance of Luedenscheid today. LichtRouten 2010 represents an invitation to a dialogue on the past and the present with an eye on the important changes brought by digitalization that are now altering living and working conditions with the same lasting effect that industrialization had.
Art and Design in Public Space
As an exhibition format for art and design in public spaces, LichtRouten 2010 depicts works in which scientific and aesthetic phenomena, natural and technical possibilities and global developments along with a diversity of world views come together in very different artistic and design strategies. All of the works were either adapted or reconceived in the confrontation with the specific locations, their histories and socio-cultural implications. For the 10-day duration of the exhibition, the pieces will be integrated into existing urban environments public spaces ready to be discussed.
Light as a Working Material
The invited artists and designers research and experiment with light as a medium of the visible world and its essential relevance for every world view. They present works using light as a material, making us conscious of the fact that there is no space and no material, no shapes and colours that are visible on their own without light. They focus on light sources, light images and light spaces with a view on the variables of time and space, distance and perspective, perception and background experience as well as the guiding interests and fantasies of the viewers, additionally making LichtRouten’s visitors a part of the interplay of the light itself. We are very much looking forward to these artists and installations, because over the last ten years they have made the LichtRouten into a celebration of the city of light.
Bettina Pelz and Tom Groll Curators
