The organizers of the light festival Staro Rīga invite you to vote for your favorite light object of this year’s festival. The results will wrapped up on November 25. Your votes will not only determine your favorite light object, but will also show the organizers the opinion of the visitors which will help planning of the next year’s light festival.
Vote here!
Until the evening of November 25 it is possible to vote for the most popular light object of the festival Staro Rīga. The results of TVNET vote will be combined with other votes to determine the most popular light object.
With a colorful and emotional fireworks on the evening of November 18 the second light festival Staro Rīga has ended. The estimated number of light festival visitors is more than 200 000, but the large scale light objects were visible to everyone in the city.
All the 56 light objects exhibited in the light festival can be divided in five groups – there will be 18 new objects, 3 objects from the festival program of 2008, 9 objects created with the help of the festival partners, 12 objects by the students of the Latvian Art Academy, and 14 permanently illuminated light objects.
“We are thankful to all who created the light objects, to the festival partners, supporters and to all the Riga City and state institutions who were involved in the festival and supported it. We are also thankful to private entrepreneurs, owners of real estate, the media and all the inhabitants of Riga for the festival we have created in our city,” tells the author of festival idea, director of Riga City council Department of Culture Diāna Čivle.
The most popular objects were „Gaisma stāsta Pēterbaznīcu” (#13), „Preses nams” (#6), „Laika grieži” (#22), “Tauriņdeja” (#11) and the objects by the students of Latvian Art Academy (#31-42). It is possible to vote for the favorite light object in the web page of Staro Rīga. On November 25 the most popular object will be determined.
“Every object of the light festival attracted its own visitors – it is interesting to observe different opinions and different impressions about the light objects. This shows that the authors of light objects have managed to attract the spectators and that each objects has its own fans. On November 25 we will see which object according to the minds of visitors is the most popular,” tell Mārcis Gulbis, the producer or the light festival Staro Rīga.
The mobile network operator “Tele2” invited everyone to the festival. The director of marketing and sales Jānis Sproģis tells, “Staro Rīga is an event that pleases and brings you out of routine. We see our Riga in different light during the dark autumn evenings – it is much more beautiful and with so much to see. I wish that this tradition would continue and that the light festival would become a new way for Riga to be permanently attractive. We are glad that the inhabitants and visitors of Riga appreciated the festival program, including the unique Tesla reel, the Tele2 square, and the hot tea which was available in the client centers of Tele2.”
It is planned that the next light festival Staro Rīga will take place from November 18 to 21, 2010. The light festival is organized by Riga City council Department of Culture and production company “Untitled”.
More than 100 000 visitors have attended the light festival. They have chosen one of several routes along the Old town, as well as visited the light object in the outskirts of the city. The most popular objects are „Gaisma stāsta Pēterbaznīcu” (#13), „Preses nams” (#6), „Laika grieži” (#22), „Zibens gaisma” (#18) and the objects by the students of Latvian Art Academy (#31-42).
The light festival Staro Rīga offers the residents and the visitors of Riga to see the city having changed with the help of light. The organizers of the festival invites photographers and cameramen to catch the light – participate in the competition and make photos or videos of the light objects!
Publish your photos or videos in the Internet and paste the links in commentary section below this article. The authors of the best pictures and videos will receive souvenirs from the light festival Staro Rīga. (Don’t forget to indicate you email!)
Let’s catch the light together!
Today, November 14, at 18:00 all the objects of the light festival Staro Rīga are turned on. They will be available for five days from 18:00 to 23:00 all over Riga.
The visitors of the festival can visit the Information centers in Rātslaukums, next to “Hotel de Rome” and in the client center of Tele2 (Merķeļa st. 21). The centers will be open from 18:00 to 23:00. The maps of the light objects, booklets, information about the event “In the light of museums” and any other information about the festival will be available in these centers.
On November 15 at 18:00 and on November 18 at 19:00, in the Museum of Doll Art – an exhibition of processual art “Vadītājs”. Metamorphosis of light – a mystery of light, music and movement. Entrance fee: 5 LVL. www.dollart.lv
In Rīdzenes street, shopping center GALERIJĀ CENTRS, until November 19 there will be an exhibition of fire sculptures “Liesmu locīt” by Uldis Balga and Agris Dzilna. The sculptures contain the beauty of fire – it takes hours to create the sculpture, yet the sculptures lasts only for few, thought expressive, moments.
VEF Culture Palace in cooperation with sculptural studio “Doma” have responded to the invitation to participate in the light festival Staro Rīga. The festive atmosphere will be created by illuminating the building of VEF Culture Palace and emphasizing the architecture.
During the light festival Staro Rīga the Blackheads House will offer hearing sounds of bells every 15 minutes from 17:15 to 22:45 (except full hours when the music of City Hall bells will sound). The architecture of the building will illuminated and the highlights will be alterated along with music.
Every evening from November 14-18 a bus will run from Old Riga to the Open Air Museum to carry to visitors of the light and sound show “Turning of Time / Laika Grieži”.
From November 14-18 as part of the light festival Staro Rīga the highest tower of the EU – Riga Radio and TV tower – will have a special illumination. The festive lights will be on from 18:00 to 23:00, but on November 18 the tower will be illuminated throughout the night – until 08:00 in the morning.
Light and sound installation “Preses nams” will be available November 14-18, from 18:00 to 23:00.
This object has been created by already proven tandem of two artists – Katrīna Neiburga and Andris Indāns.
November 14 – 18 the sound and light exhibition Komutators (Commutator) will be held at Southern end of Andrejsala. This includes sculptures of light. These can be used in numerous ways – for creating ambient mood, for decorating interior or exterior, as part of a certain ritual or as a means for communication.
On November 14 as part of the light festival Staro Rīga organized by The Department of Culture, fourteen Riga museums participate in the project “In the Light of Museums”. Unlike the project “Night of Museums”, which aims to attract as much attendance as possible, the aim of this project is to educate.
This year’s most elevated object of light will be located in Skanstes region. The installation of light “The Summits of Light” will mark the silhouettes of the highest Riga buildings, thus making them visible from any place in the city. Those who will visit Skanstes Virsotnes will be surprised by facades of the buildings having transformed into large scale screens. The shifting of colors will be visible from far away – the same as it is also with Skanstes Virsotnes, which is an important architectonic landmark of the right bank of river Daugava.
The information on all 56 light objects of the light festival Staro Rīga is now available on the website of the festival www.staroriga.com in section Objects.
All the light objects can be divided in five groups – there will be 18 new objects, 3 objects from the festival program of 2008, 9 objects created with the help of the festival partners, 12 objects by the students of the Latvian Art Academy, and 14 permanently illuminated light objects.
Arena Rīga will participate in the second light festival Staro Rīga (November 14 – 18) by transforming the facade of the building into a large scale object of light. This will be the second time when Arena Rīga – the largest venue of cultural and sport events in the Baltics – will greet the residents and the visitors of the city with an urban installation.
Every visitor of the light festival Staro Rīga is welcome to take the opportunity and buy the energy-efficient OSRAM light bulbs with considerable discounts. Moreover, light bulbs of different colors will be available – this is a great way to create an atmosphere of light festival Staro Rīga at you home.
From November 14 – 18 as a part of events of light festival Staro Rīga, Latvian Ethnographic Open Air Museum will organize a show of sound and light “Laika grieži / Turning of Time”. Various light effects will transform a traditional farm into a place where a story of one human life is being told from the perspective of the nature. Both nature and human go through similar cycles – everything in nature wakes up in spring, blooms and grows in summer, ripens in autumn and rests in winter. Likewise – the life of a human forms a similar cycle – birth, childhood, youth, wedding, forming a new family, maturity, handing over the knowledge about life to the young, and passing away. The story about intertwined cycles of the human life and the nature will be told every day of festival (November 14-18) from 18:00 to 23:00. Entrance is free.
On the first day of the light festival Staro Rīga – on November 14 from 18:00 to 22:00 – fourteen museums of Riga will involve in the light festival Staro Riga with a program “In the light of museums” by offering special events and reduced entrance fee:
In the press conference, which was held in Riga Art space, the organizers told about the events of the light festival. The director of the Department of Culture (Riga City Council) believes that there has been very positive feedback after the first light festival, which not only introduces the period of celebration of Latvia’s Independence day, but also creates a positive aura and the feeling of celebration in one of the darkest months of a year. All the objects of the festival will operate all five days of the festival from 18:00 to 23:00. “This year the festival is organized with a five times smaller budget as compared to the first light festival Staro Rīga. Nevertheless, owing to many partners, sponsors and the creativity of the project authors, there will be 50 different light objects,” tells the author of the idea of the light festival.
The mobile network operator Tele2 has become the supporter of the light festival Staro Rīga. “The light festival is a wonderful event that delights and cheers-up people in the darkest period of a year. Tele2 is proud to be the sponsor of this event. With the support of Tele2 several objects will be illuminated in Riga, we will also support setting up of the objects created by the students of Department of design, Art Academy of Latvia. Moreover, we will make a special Tele2 route, where every visitor of the festival will be able to take part of the performances of light and modern technology. Tele2 will also provide the telephone number for inquiries about the light festival Staro Rīga.
For the first time in the light festival Staro Rīga there are so many artworks created by students of Department of Design of Art Academy of Latvia. They were created this September in the Creative Workshop organized by Art Academy of Latvia and Rīga City Council. Thus the students of design participate in the festive transformation of the city and in the entertaining of residents and guests of the city.
The second year in the row for five days in November Rīga will be made much brighter by the Light Festival Staro Rīga (Riga Shines). The visitors of the festival will have a chance to see tens of different objects illuminated in various techniques.