Art, Technology & Storytelling Converge as LUMA Returns to it’s In-person Format September 10 & 11
Just one year after redefining virtual arts for the COVID age, LUMA will return to its much-loved street festival format with the seventh annual LUMA Projection Arts Festival on Friday, September 10 and Saturday, September 11, 2021.
From Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom to the facade of Chicago’s Merchandise Mart, many Americans may have begun to see examples of projection mapping without knowing quite what it is. In short, projection mapping is a visual art form that turns 3D objects of various shapes and sizes — even as large as the Empire State Building — into surfaces for completely custom video projection. Using this technique and narrative storytelling, LUMA transforms Binghamton, a small city in Upstate New York, every fall, creating new worlds for visitors to enter and experience.
LUMA is the only festival in the United States to focus primarily on projection mapping. Additionally, most of the features at LUMA are completely free, which means the festival is one of the few entities striving to make projection mapping, a complex and pricey artform, accessible to the public.
LUMA is unique among projection arts events for its long-term partnerships with some of the finest projection mapping artists on the globe. They’ll add two new artists to the lineup this year. Currently, artists committed to the festival include:
- Sila Sveta (Moscow, Russia) is the ‘first call for every outrageous, unthinkable and unknown possibility in immersive experiences’. In short, they make the barely imaginable real. Their most recent projects included XR content design for a Billie Eilish live stream and live stage design for Halsey. Debut Artist
- Mindscape (Bucharest, Romania) has a passion for worldwide competitive video mapping and have brought home awards from all over the globe. They often work an unprecedented visual scale or incorporate live dance and acrobats into narrative architectural mapping. Debut Artist
- Maxin10sity (Budapest, Hungary) is a master of 3D architectural transformation. Their team of artists is known the world over for their ability to flawlessly reinterpret building design in astoundingly creative ways — as well as their breathtaking scene transitions. A returning artist, Maxin10sity will give us their take on a building they’ve never mapped this fall.
- LightHarvest (Brooklyn, New York), perhaps more than any other artist, has redefined storytelling for the projection mapping format. In emotive presentations rich with meaning, LightHarvest connects with audiences using both 3D architectural mapping and full body motion capture — using dancers to draw the audience into each presentation.
- Additional artists to be announced soon.
“2019 was a breakthrough year for LUMA in terms of both the quality and variety of tech-based storytelling,” explained festival co-founder Tice Lerner. “We were already in the midst of planning a 2020 festival when we had to switch courses. So some of these ideas have been percolating for a long time and we’re thrilled to show you what’s been in the works.”
“LUMA never really went away. We believe the arts become even more important in times of isolation. That’s why we presented the world’s first live-streaming virtual reality opera in 2020” added co-founder Joshua Bernard. “It was a thrilling experiment. But there’s nothing like the crowds at our annual street festival. The energy, the art, the imagination–it’s electric. We’re so excited to be back.”
LUMA has produced explainer video to further illustrate projection mapping and the festival itself:vimeo.com/282252420.
To ensure the safety of its audience, LUMA will take public health precautions in accordance with the recommendations of city, county, state and federal officials. For the latest COVID-related precautions, please visit lumafestival.com/health.
About LUMA Projection Arts Festival
The LUMA Projection Arts Festival, in its seventh year, is the only festival in the United States to focus primarily on projection mapping, a visual story-telling artform that projects intricate videos onto objects of various shapes and sizes. LUMA draws 45,000 attendees annually to Binghamton, NY to experience 3-D storytelling features created by internationally-renowned artists. Free to the public, the festival is one of few entities striving to make this complex artform accessible to the public. Support for this festival was provided by Market New York through I LOVE NY, the New York State Division of Tourism as a part of the Regional Economic Development Council awards. LUMA will take place on September 10-11, 2021. In the event of a date cancellation due to a weather emergency, the festival will also run September 12.
Additional Links
Due to public health precautions, LUMA will distribute free tickets to limit the number of people attending the festival at any given time.
Website + Waitlist: lumafestival.com