LIG HT CY CL E S WORLDWIDE LOCATIONS
This multi-location, multimedia immersive art experience, which blends technology with the natural environment, began with a simple question. Mathieu Grainger, Producer of Light Cycles, explains that Moment Factory asked themselves: What if nature could talk?”
In the winter of 2024, the MONDO-DR team travelled to Birmingham to witness the unveiling of the city’s Light Cycles exhibition. This sensorilyengaging outdoor installation appears simultaneously in multiple locations worldwide, thanks to its creator, Moment Factory. Drawing on Moment Factory’s vast multimedia repertoire, including the Lumina Night Walks series, these installations, whether permanent or semi-permanent, can operate year-round or seasonally. Blending light, projection, scenography, and sound, five distinct art installations were placed around the grounds of Packington Estate, Birmingham, each representing a diverse natural environment. From its ‘Into the Sunset’ scene where laser fixtures produce golden rays alongside a huge, lit up faux sun, to ‘Invisible’, where projectors cast custom mapped video content on a crafted display of bamboo, the technology within Light Cycles consistently plays with its habitat. When asked by MONDO-DR about his thoughts on Moment Factory’s Birmingham rendition of the experience, Mathieu Grainger, Producer of Light Cycles, turned the question around, responding, “Well, what did you think?” This proved to be one of the most pertinent ideas behind all of the international versions of Light Cycles, with the producer explaining that through thoughtfully designed sound and visuals, every iteration of the exhibition is meant to create a personal and intimate experience for each visitor. “Unlike some of our projects with a developed narrative, Light Cycles seamlessly orchestrates technologies and multimedia effects to connect visitors to their emotions and surroundings, allowing each person to embark on a unique journey shaped by their individual perceptions. For example, the ambient music playing throughout each rendition, produced by the Barr Brothers, might be bittersweetly nostalgic to one visitor and energisingly uplifting to another, depending on their own memories and associations with the soundscape.” The producer went on to detail the other starting motivations behind the international light project, or as he succinctly termed them, ‘the first twinklings’. “We’ve been creating immersive Night Walks for over 10 years now. Our first, Foresta Lumina in Canada, ran its 11th season this year. This too is a multimedia, walk-through experience. Over the years, it’s safe to say that we’ve developed an affinity and an expertise for working outside and marrying technology with nature.” Moment Factory’s proficiency in outdoor-based venues exceeds just Night Walks, with the team winning the 2020 MONDO-DR Award for
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