Art review: Llum BCN

If you haven’t yet experienced the Llum BCN festival, you’re in for a treat. Taking place from February 16th to 18th, the seventh edition of this light festival will see some of Barcelona’s darkest winter nights illuminated by innovative installations. This year, for the first time, the festival will light up Poblenou.

When night falls, a new Barcelona will shine out thanks to the talent of artists from all over the world, as well as local students who have mastered the transforming power of light. The guest artist at Llum BCN 2018 is Monique Savoie, a video artist and founder of the prestigious Société des Arts Technologiques (SAT) of Montreal. In Barcelona, SAT will showcase a selection of immersive projections. Visitors can discover these at the new Family Space, which will also be open during the day.

Another of the anticipated offerings this year is ‘Playball’, an installation by students of the master’s programme at the IAAC (Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalunya), in which the public bounces suspended balls off each other, setting off a domino-effect of illumination.

This year’s festival features twice the number of shows and facilities by acclaimed artists, not forgetting one of the hallmarks that distinguish it: the emphasis on experimentation and creations presented by students at the city’s schools of art, design, lighting and architecture. This year, these creatives will respond to the challenge of transforming spaces that all have a very different nature.