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Amsterdam Light Festival - Solstice 

WHAT WE DID

Project Engineering

Arts & Culture
CATEGORY
CLIENT
Amsterdam Light Festival & Studio Vertigo
Photographer
Janus van den Eijnden

About the Project

The story

In the heart of Amsterdam's winter darkness, a series of luminous rings creates an unexpected moment of summer warmth. "Solstice," crafted by Studio Vertigo's Lucy McDonnell and Stephen Newby, transforms one of the city's pathways into a glowing tribute to our planet's most ancient timekeeper – the sun.

As visitors go through this illuminated passage, they experience more than just light – they participate in a ritual as old as humanity itself. The installation serves as a powerful reminder of the sun's crucial role in shaping our climate, seasons, and the very rhythm of life on Earth. In an age of increasing disconnection from natural cycles, "Solstice" brings us back to this fundamental relationship with our nearest star.

THE
PROCESS

The installation's elegant steel arches, wrapped in specially selected DiGi Neonflex Top Bend, trace the sun's elliptical journey through the sky. Each arch, carefully assembled on the ground before being raised and connected, creates a passage of light that invites visitors to experience a moment of midsummer radiance in the depths of winter. The DiGidot C4 Extended controllers orchestrate this solar choreography, ensuring each ring pulses with the precise warmth and intensity needed to evoke the sun's glow. 

We wanted to create something that speaks to a universal human experience," explains McDonnell. "The solstice is perhaps our oldest shared ritual, transcending cultural boundaries and connecting us not just to each other, but to all life on Earth." This understanding has been central to Studio Vertigo's work since its inception, as it continues to explore the contradictions between form, material, and scale. 

Through the marriage of ancient symbolism and modern LED technology, Studio Vertigo has created more than just a light installation – they've crafted a space for reflection on our place within the greater cycles of nature, inviting us to pause and remember the eternal dance between Earth and sun that guides all life.