- The Charlemagne's celebration of 75 years of the Constitution
On the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the Basic Law, the Castle of Light shows at Karlsruhe Castle are themed "Everybody counts" (Everyone counts) this year. Until September 15, the 170-meter-wide Baroque facade will be illuminated every evening. The tenth edition of the light art festival is free of charge.
The focus this year is on the themes of law and democracy, explained the organizers, citing the current situation: "Especially in fragile times like these, when rights, democracy, peace, and values are under attack from all sides, stance and engagement are more important than ever." The motto "Everybody counts" emphasizes the importance of equality, participation, unrestricted basic rights, and freedom from fear in an increasingly polarized and contested world.
The Basic Law was enacted on May 23, 1949. In Karlsruhe, it holds particular significance as the seat of the Federal Constitutional Court, Germany's highest court, is located next to the castle. The city is also known as the "Residence of Law".
Light shows with a message
During the approximately four weeks, various works using so-called projection mapping will be on display - a form of media art that projects individually adapted video projections onto an object. For example, in "Arrrtt. I GG", Veronika Biebrich, Verena Stella Gompf, and Nikolaus Völzow, with the support of Alistair Hudson, the scientific-artistic director of the Center for Art and Media (ZKM) Karlsruhe, engage with the Basic Law itself.
Julia Shamsheieva invites the audience to a journey with "Liberty Enlightening the World" and transports them back to films of the 20th century with retro aesthetics. Julian Hölscher's "Letters of Liberty" carries the message: "Democracy is alive when citizens participate and shape it." From "Me" (I) it becomes "We" (Us).
The Castle of Light shows begin at dusk and end on Sundays to Thursdays at 23:15 and on Fridays and Saturdays at 23:30. Additionally, under the title "Media art is here", public places, facades, and shop windows in the city will be transformed into a digital stage throughout the period, presenting installations, videos, performances, and interdisciplinary projects free of charge.
The focus of the 2024 light art festival is on engaging with the themes of the Basic Law and democracy, as highlighted by the creators of the "Arrrtt. I GG" projection mapping. The audience is encouraged to appreciate the importance of democracy, as demonstrated in Julia Shamsheieva's work "Liberty Enlightening the World".
