More than 600,000 Sofia residents and guests visited 14 locations, part of the fourth edition of the LUNAR Festival of Lights, in Sofia. The three-kilometer route in the central part of the capital presented over 30 light works by artists from all over the world under the open sky. The art of over 20 artists and creative studios from 11 countries transformed some of the most famous buildings, parks and squares. The works of artists from Belgium, Bulgaria, Germany, Indonesia, Spain, Italy, China, Romania, Singapore, Ukraine and Hungary filled the city center, which was transformed into a pedestrian zone for all those wishing to enjoy the innovative audiovisual artworks.
“I believe that we have managed to put Bulgaria in a very interesting place on the map of light festivals in the world and that in the future, we will continue to inspire many young talents and provide a platform for new and established artists to create art specifically for our capital. We are happy that we have managed to develop a quality program that provokes the imagination of visitors, sends important messages, but also attracts more and more viewers, which will inevitably contribute to the cultural and economic development of our country,” shared Marin Petkov, founder of MP-STUDIO and the LUNAR festival.
“For the fourth consecutive year, the LUNAR festival turns our city into an open-air gallery – ever more impressive, ever more inspiring. What the artists create is not just a visual experience – it energizes us, makes us dream, opens new horizons for the imagination. As a citizen, and not just as a mayor, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. You remind us that Sofia has the power to be a city of dreamers – and of people who make dreams a reality,” shared Vasil Terziev, Mayor of Sofia Municipality and patron of LUNAR.
During the framework of the festival, for the third time in Bulgaria, an international video mapping championship was held, organized by MP-STUDIO, with the support of the Ministry of Tourism. The “Legacy” competition challenged artists from all over the world to explore the transformation of inherited motifs in today’s culture, to show that the true power of any heritage is its ability to develop and inspire new creative directions. Over fifty participants from 26 countries applied for the competition. On the last festival evening, on the facade of the National Gallery / Kvadrat 500, the three winners of the championship, selected by a six-member international jury, were announced. First place went to the Hungarian artist Laszlo Cigany, with his show “Identity Crisis”, second place went to the Italian artist St.Frax, with his work “Decovision”. Third place went to the show “Transmutations”, by Henry Hu from Singapore.
The creative team behind the festival is the Bulgarian projection mapping and visual effects studio MP-STUDIO, which is responsible for the art direction and a large part of the productions of the international format Festival of Lights International. The event was held with the support of the European Parliament in Bulgaria, the Representation of the European Commission in Bulgaria, the Ministry of Tourism, Sofia Municipality – Calendar of Cultural Events, with the financial support of the “Creation” program of the National Culture Fund, under the patronage of the Mayor of Sofia Municipality Vasil Terziev, as well as with the general media support of bTV Media Group.
The names of the three winners of the third international video mapping competition in Bulgaria are now known. The “Legacy” championship was organized by MP-STUDIO, with the support of the [...]
