Foto Friday – Jerusalem Light Festival

June 5, 2009 - 4:07 PM by Rachel Neiman

The Jerusalem Light Festival in the Old City, taking place next week, June 10-16, promises to be an absolute delight — no pun intended. These images are just a few of the two dozen or so works by artists commissioned to use Jerusalem’s Old City as a canvas and light as their brush.

Digital artists Yosef Meir Gimi, event designer Ronen Aricha and artist-musician Uri Ben Shabat created a surrealistic journey through the Batei HaMachaseh neighborhood. There will be an exhibition of light-works by artists as well.

This is a mock-up of what is planned for Safra Square, site of the Jerusalem City Hall. Multimedia artists Malchi and Assaf Shem Tov of Studio AVS and Amit Fisher of Studio Locomotion have created a work that combines sound and light on the theme of the Twelve Tribes.

Museum designer Eliav Nachlieli was invited to create a laser light installation at the Wohl Archaeological Museum.

There will also be live entertainment on the Old City walls with performances scheduled twice nightly.

As a former lighting designer, who did quite a lot of work casting light and color on ancient walls in Jaffa, Acco, Jerusalem and the Judaean desert, this piece looks to be a very dramatic experience, in terms of breadth and color.

It’s entitled Night Panorama by Gil Teichman, one of Israel’s premiere lighting designers and contractors (he also does the Azrieli Center, among other large installations). Teichman will light up the Kidron valley surrounding Yad Avshalom (Absalom’s Tomb). Probably shouldn’t be missed — don’t see how it could be!

More images from the upcoming Jerusalem Light Festival are available at the festival website. Information in English at Jerusalem.com.

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