Lighting Guerrilla: Transformations

Of course, every artwork presupposes a transformation of one kind or another, which takes place both in the production process itself and at the level of perception. The transformative potential of (visual) art can be understood as the quality of an artwork that enables it to influence the sensory perception and consciousness of the spectator and, consequently, wider society or culture. This potential can be very diverse in both intensity and content, ranging from simple sensory pleasure to deeper cognitive change that affects our understanding of surroundings, society and our relationships with each other. Most of the artworks, especially the site-specific installations in public space, also influence the transformation of the environment itself, turning it into spaces of boundless imagination and aesthetic contemplation. In shaping the programme of this year's festival, we were interested in projects that use an authentic artistic language to address different aspects of transformation, both at the level of the form itself and in the context of space, or at the level of the spectator’s perception.

The exhibition at the Match Gallery, which will also be on display after the festival until the 1 September, brings together artworks by an international group of artists. The works by Cinzia Campolese, Lovro Ivančić and Sarah Rechberger each address the topic of transformation in their own way: all three of them derive from the potential of space, making sense of both its physical and purely fictional aspects. Cinzia Campolese’s interactive project raises questions about the character of space, or its moulting into a kind of living organism, by means of calibrated laser beam waves. Lovro Ivančić’s installation aims to create an atmosphere of alienation; with his ambient installation we experience the pulse of the unknown, otherworldly environment, where different laws and relationships prevail. Sarah Rechberge’s new media installation also introduces us to the realm of futuristic speculation. It guides us into the world as shaped by the sensory consciousness of the planet Earth, which, with the help of so-called planetary intelligence, brings about a profound transformation of nature and thus of life on its surface.

Matjaž Brulc

You are kindly invited to join the Lighting Guerrilla: Transformations festival, starting on Friday, 24 May 2024 at 9.30 p.m. Meet you in front of Match Gallery!

Watch a video about the Lighting Guerrilla 2023 edition: