Twenty years after the first Lights in Alingsås festival, the two renowned lighting designers Kai Piippo (Light Bureau) and Torbjörn Eliasson (White Arkitekter), supporters of the event since its inception, returned to the Swedish city to present it with a permanent lighting installation to celebrate the jubilee anniversary of Lights in Alingsås. Every year, the festival attracts more than 80,000 visitors, who come to this small city to admire the temporary lighting installations created by students under the supervision of a number of international lighting designers. Over time, the event has carved out a space for itself with its contribution to the spread of a real culture of light and lighting throughout the world.

The team, made up of Kai Piippo and Torbjörn Eliasson together with their colleagues Seren Dincel and Helena Johansson of Light Bureau, came up with a lighting project that has redesigned the area around the river Lillå, which flows through the centre of the city. The aim of the project was to make better use of this area by rendering it both safer and more inviting. Rows of polished steel poles have been installed along both sides of the river, with luminaires mounted on them. The steel structures reflect the trees and water so that the entire installation integrates seamlessly into its surroundings. The small wooden bridge that crosses the river was also integrated into the lighting designers’ project: 32 Spot 1.0 316L projectors were mounted in pairs on each pillar. Their small size allows them to disappear into their setting, leaving them to pick out the bridge’s vertical lines with narrow optics (10°) and emphasise the white colour of the wood with their cool light (5000K). Like the vertical structures, they are made of 316L stainless steel and have an IP68 ingress protection rating, making them suitable for use in water.

During Lights in Alingsås 2019, local primary school children added to the new installation by hanging lanterns made of painted milk bottles above the river, creating a fascinating play of reflections (photo 2, 3, 4, 5).

The work created to celebrate the anniversary of Lights in Alingsås is a space that will change according to the seasons, the atmospheric conditions and the temporary installations that bring it to life. At the same time, however, it is a place that will forever characterize the city of Alingsås in the eyes of both its inhabitants and its visitors.