Vienna Rays of Hope "Lichtblicke" 2022 Opened
Until November 27, twelve Viennese locations will be transformed into so-called Chromotopia with white light lines and light images visible from afar. Under the artistic direction of Victoria Coeln, international artists are designing light interventions that can be seen in the evening and early morning hours and invite participation. For the first time, there will also be augmented reality, which will allow virtual light objects to float in the Chromotopia and merge with the light images.
Twelve locations will be covered with light lines and light images until November 27 and can be visited more closely with tram tours. / Picture: © © NIPAS / Helmut Prochart / Bildrecht / 2022
There will be white light lines and light images visible from afar at twelve locations in Vienna from September 29 to November 27, 2022. In addition, six "light tram" rides invite visitors to take a closer look at this year's theme "Constitution". They create a relationship with the individual locations, connecting the inner city with the periphery. The cooperation partners additionally offer thematic program points in the Chromotopia. The spectrum ranges from workshops and discussions to musical contributions. Behind this art project is the initiative Wiener Lichtblicke started by the artist Victoria Coeln.
Locations of the Chromotopia
| 12 Chromotopia | |
| Summer time: | 7 to 10 p.m. | 5 to 7 a.m. |
| Winter time: | 5 to 10 p.m. | 5 to 7 a.m. |
| Chromotop 01 | Vienna, 1010, Freyung/Constitutional Court |
| Chromotop 02 | Vienna, 1010, Freda-Meissner-Blue-Promenade |
| Chromotop 03 | Vienna, 1010, Morzinplatz/Ruprechtsstiege |
| Chromotop 04 | Vienna ,1010, Stubentor/Monument |
| Chromotop 05 | Vienna,1030, Kelsenstrasse/Ghegastrasse |
| Chromotop 06 | Vienna,1040, Resselpark/Resselgasse |
| Chromotop 07 | Vienna,1100, Am Schweizer Garten/Quartier Belvedere |
| Chromotop 08 | Vienna, 1100, Reumädchenbühne/Reumannplatz |
| Chromotop 09 | Vienna, 1110, Central Cemetery/1st Gate: Jewish Cemetery |
| Chromotop 10 | Vienna, 1160, Congress Park/Sandleitengasse |
| Chromotop 11 | Vienna ,1200, Gaussplatz/corner of Jägerstrasse |
| Chromotop 12 | Vienna ,1230, Maurer City Hall Park/Speisinger Strasse |
| Augmented Reality (AR) | Floating in the Chromotopia - visible on any smartphone - are transparent three-dimensional light art formations linked to sound and text. Scanning the QR codes on site opens augmented reality. The virtual light objects, which merge with real light images, can be captured and collected in portrait, city and landscape photographs. |
| 6 Licht-Tram rides |
Pay as you can! Booking: wienerlichtblicke.at Sponsored Content mid-October and mid-November to Ottakring, Simmering and Mauer Meeting point in each case at 18:40 in Chromotop 07, Am Schweizer Garten/Quartier Belvedere - Talks and artistic interventions during the streetcar rides |
| Licht Tram 1+4 | Thursday, 13.10. + Thursday 17.11.22 / Visit of Chromotopia 07 + 03 + 09 + 05 / Artistic intervention: Christoph Bochdansky |
| Licht-Tram 2+5 | In cooperation with SOHO in Ottakring / Friday, 14.10. + Friday 18.11.22 Visit of Chromotopia 07 + 02 + 11 + 10 /Artistic intervention: Jasmin Avissar, Kathrin Grumeth, Žiga Jereb |
| Licht Tram 3+6 | In cooperation with F 23 and Agenda Favoriten / Saturday 15.10 + Saturday 19.11.22 / Visit of Chromotopia 07 + 08 + 12 / Artistic intervention: Die Strottern & Peter Ahorner |
The goal of the Chromotopia
Bringing the constitution closer to the people - is a common concern that unites the Constitutional Court and the Wiener Lichtblicke. These offer space for an examination of (one's own) constitution. The core of the cooperation is the essential question of how the mere state description of a "good constitution" can also develop effectiveness for a peaceful society.
Vienna's City Councillor for Culture and Science Veronica Kaup-Hasler emphasized that "the constitution is the most important instrument of our democratic coexistence." Kaup-Hasler thanked the team of "Wiener Lichtblicke" for taking up an "important topic through art and creating a social space in public, in workshops and discussions to conduct the dialogue on which democracy is built."
The President of the Constitutional Court Christoph Grabenwarter stressed that "Art is a part of society and politically relevant wherever it is created. This makes it relevant to the constitutional culture. In this sense, the cooperation of the Constitutional Court with the art project Wiener Lichtblicke invites us to reflect on the culture of the constitution. What contribution does the constitution make so that society, so that not only people and the state, but also art can be in good shape, have its freedom, but also receive the necessary support?"
"The Wiener Lichtblicke brings hope, courage and confidence to the autumnal city," says the artist, initiator and artistic director of the Wiener Lichtblicke Victoria Coeln. "The Chromotopia are threshold- and barrier-free light stages, at the same time shelters of freedom, fundamental and human rights - values that the Constitutional Court protects."
Vienna's Chromotopia saves energy
According to Wiener Lichtblicke, now in its third year, also saves energy. The light interventions no longer run all night but are switched off from 10 pm to 5 am. This reduces the running time to 50%.
Per the site, the average energy consumption is only 1 kW/hour. According to Wiener Lichtblicke, this is roughly equivalent to the consumption of 4 streaming or 10 medium-sized LED TV sets. According to Wiener Lichtblicke, the low energy consumption is the result of the technically optimized design of the projectors developed in Vienna. Almost all the materials used in the Vienna Lichtblicks are reused.
About the Artists
Victoria Coeln combines light and art in her artistic work to create a powerful language that negotiates aesthetic and political issues at the intersection of the visible and the invisible. Together with her longtime artistic partner Žiga Jereb, she founded NIPAS, which has realized Lichtblicke, the annual festival of realities, since 2020.
NIPAS, the nomadic institute for political arts and science, aims to create a resilient network with long-term partnerships that makes diverse, sustainable contributions to young people and also the community and thus to democracy and peace.