Eindhoven, 3 September 2026 – Anyone who submits a selfie between 4 and 30 September has the chance to become part of MACHINA, a light artwork that will be on display during GLOW. The Flemish artists’ collective BOBOLITO&Co is creating a total of one thousand portraits for the installation. The submitted photographs are transformed into line drawings, which are then cut into Plexiglas. During GLOW, the individual faces come together to form a single collective light artwork suspended above 18 Septemberplein.

The Plexiglas portraits will be brought together in a floating structure above 18 Septemberplein, allowing visitors to walk underneath it. The elements move with the wind, while sunlight and artificial light create ever-changing reflections and shadows throughout the day and evening.

When submitting their selfie, participants can also record a short message. Fragments of these recordings will be incorporated into a soundscape that can be heard around the installation during GLOW. In this way, 18 Septemberplein will be filled with the faces, voices and stories of a diverse range of people.

Coming together as one

MACHINA ties in seamlessly with CONNECT, the theme of GLOW 2026, which focuses on the connection between people, technology and their surroundings. GLOW Director Philip Ross explains:

“The power of GLOW lies in bringing people together as part of something bigger. MACHINA makes this tangible. Every face is different and tells its own story, yet together they form a single artwork in the heart of the city. To me, that is what CONNECT means: everyone brings something of their own, and through coming together, something beautiful and new emerges.”

From selfie to Plexiglas

Taking part is possible from 4 to 30 September. Via the GLOW website, participants can submit their selfie and, if they wish, record a short message. The selfie is then transformed into a line drawing, inspired by the line portraits of artist Alexander Calder. The portrait is subsequently cut from Plexiglas and given a unique number.

After GLOW, participants can take their own portrait home. The portraits can be collected on Sunday 15 November between 4.00 and 6.00 pm at 18 Septemberplein. Participants will receive a unique collection code by email. This means that, after the event, a tangible part of the collective artwork remains with the people who helped create it.

MACHINA will be on display from 7 to 14 November during GLOW Eindhoven at 18 Septemberplein and is made possible in part by the Friends of GLOW.