The pictures of the newly installed light sculptures in Bergamo and Brescia

“Light is Life. Festa delle Luci A2A” is an immersive event organized by A2A, with the patronage of the Municipalities of Bergamo and Brescia, on the occasion of “Bergamo Brescia Capital of Italian Culture 2023”. The festival aims to involve productive energies, cultural institutions, and educational spaces in an international artistic event that aims to promote the conscious use of energy and solidarity against energy poverty. The artistic directors of the festival are Angelo Bonello, world-famous light artist and founder of Kitonb Creative Studio, and Pam Toonen, who boasts a collaboration with LAC Light Art Collection, part of the Amsterdam Light Festival Foundation, that since 2012 has been designing and producing light festivals all over the world.

Among the many installations are new and site-specific, including in Brescia the 3D Mapping projected on Piazza della Loggia, by Collettivo Unità C1; “Vittoria trasfigurata” (“Transfigured Victory”) by Angelo Bonello, “Arcus Lucis” by Daniele Davino; “Horama” by Chiara Arrigoni and Martina Nodari; “Borealis” by Michele Barzan and Franco Lorenzi; “Big Ballerina” by Angelo Bonello; “Storie di Luce” (“Stories of Light”), a choral project made of luminous works, realized by the students of the Fine Arts Academies of Brescia LABA and Santa Giulia; “Le cose che non possiamo dimenticare” (“The Things We Cannot Forget”), an installation that returns to the territory in the form of visual flow a series, created by Angelo Bonello in collaboration with Cieli Vibranti. While in Bergamo, the new works are “Tessellis” by Angelo Bonello; the Data Mapping projected on the Angelo Mai Civic Library, by the Unit C1 Collective; “0,3m” by Luca Brinchi and Daniele Spanò; and another version of “Storie di Luce” (“Stories of Light”) made by the students of the Academy of Fine Arts of Bergamo “G. Carrara”. Many works have also been enriched by a soundtrack made for the occasion by the composer Francesca Formisano. During Domus's visit to the installations, Bonello had the opportunity to emphasise the importance of the acoustic and musical component in the works in which he is present, which reached an apex with the presence of the Donizetti opera choir during the mapping of Bergamo's Mai Library. “Theatricality is a very important component for me,” explained Angelo Bonello, who has a rich and heterogeneous curriculum, with experience in theatre and television. “In Brescia, this theatricality is even more evident,” he explained to Domus. It took about nine months to prepare the installations, about half of which are site-specific and designed specifically for this edition. 'A real gestation,' he comments, smiling, before these works, you could say, came to light.