The Beat
W e l c o m e t o T h e B e a t , t h e t h e m e o f G L O W l i g h t a r t f e s t i v a l
The Beat
“Bring that Beat Back” ordered Public Enemy. “And the Beat Goes On”, sang The Whispers. Or how about Justin Timberlake singing “You gon’ like the way we rock it, so don’t stop the beat” (from “Can’t Stop the Feeling!”)? Or Rihanna: “Please don’t stop, please don’t stop, please don’t stop the beat” (from “Don’t stop the music”)?
But “a beat” is more than just the rhythmic part in a piece of music. The beat is fundamental to life. The beat of our surroundings fires us and up and cools us down. It shapes our moods and sets the context. The beat defines the rhythm of the city, the pulse of the people who live there, the buzz of our interplay with each other and the pattern of our lives.
And that’s the beat we’re going to capture in this year’s edition of GLOW, the first in a new light-art triptych for 2023 (“The Beat”), 2024 (“The Stream”), culminating in “The Light” in 2025, the 20th anniversary of GLOW. The inspiration for this idea? The idea of a lightbulb pulsating (beating), the light spreading (streaming) and ultimately connecting everyone everywhere.
In “The Beat” we’re going back to the source to connect light art to the rhythms that colour and define our existence. We’re going to identify what makes a city a city, and put it out there. With light in the lead, we’re going to explore the many synonyms of “beat” – pulse, pulsating, rhythm, rhythmic, reverberation, frequency, heartbeat and more. Whatever our artists conceive. And through this we will create a magical, energising, rollercoaster of a festival that is inclusive of everyone. Because my beat might not be yours, and your beat might not be mine. And that’s good. That’s inspiring. That’s fun.
We’ll be exploring new techniques and technologies that cover the from sustainability, materials and energy use to new original works and the role of light in the community. And we’ll be exploring innovation in practicalities, such as how we can help visitors to experience the festival more personally and individually.
GLOW’s vision of light art for all, based on a combination of high tech, design and creativity, is unique because it enables anyone to get involved as a creator, enabler or participant.
In vibrant, pulsating Eindhoven, rhythm is everywhere. The beat is everywhere. And this year we’re literally going to bring that to light.
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