Festival of Lights: soak up these 8 amazing installations

The winner of the Trophée des Lumières 2022, Inook's "Grand Mix" on the Place des Terreaux combines art and modernity to delight everyone. How did they do it? Quite simply by inviting everyone to enjoy the works of art at the Musée des Beaux-Arts like never before. The works were projected onto the façade of the palace, and sang along with passers-by to sounds that were familiar to all. From Britney Spears and Nino Ferrer to AC/DC and Claude François, deepfake technology ensured that all music fans were able to enjoy a giant choir made up of their favourite works. A great opportunity to celebrate in light.

In 2021, it's all a question of perception on the façade of Saint John's Cathedral. Indeed, the "Iris" project is a succession of paintings inviting us to discover the world through different types of vision. From the eye of a fly to the different capacities of the human eye, colors and volumes change to offer an exploration of sight through the oculus represented by the cathedral's rose window. A first for AV Extended, these graphic tableaux use 3D to transport you on an exceptional chromatic journey.

"Les Cueilleurs de Nuages" is a modern tale presented by CozTen with as much gentleness as reflection. The Fourvière hill is used as a backdrop to tell the poetic tale of a family of giants who gather clouds to care for a beautiful, luminous flower that needs water. The mechanisms used by our gentle giants are inspired by the many inventions made by researchers around the world to combat the drought caused by global warming by capturing the water stored in clouds. This Fa Musique production plunges us into an alternative, fairytale world, while awakening our ecological commitment. Enzo Izzi's sound composition is the perfect accompaniment to the lighting effects and projections, giving this show the touch of hope and magic needed to inspire young and old alike.

In 2018, lasers redefined the space of the Hôtel de Ville. Once through the gates, you're immersed in the journey from Place de la Comédie to Terreaux. Sound, light... everything is there to enjoy an aerial and delicate dance in this spectacular setting. Admire the precisely traced lines and the play of colors reflected on these sites steeped in history.

The TILT Collective transformed Place Bellecour into a gigantic light garden à la française, offering visitors a breath of fresh air during their nocturnal stroll. Visitors wandered around giant poppies, wild grasses and other unusual plants, all under the watchful eye of Louis XIV, whose statue at the center of the square was adorned with a luminous cape.

This interactive installation was the work of Franck Pelletier and the Les Allumeurs Collective. With a simple touch of the hand, a blow-up heart, located in front of Théâtre des Célestins, measured passerbys’ pulses, then flashed their differing heartbeats in unison. A true declaration of love to the city of Lyon.

In 2015, the Festival’s events were disrupted by the attacks to the capital just weeks prior. The city paid tribute to the victims with this installation by Daniel Knipper, which flashed familiar eyes borrowed from paintings by artists like Botticelli, Matisse, and Warhol over the monuments from Fourvière Hill. The first names of the victims of the attacks were also displayed on the facades at the docks.

Visitors were able to take a poetic break on the grounds of the City Hall, which was transformed for the occasion into an ephemeral sanctuary. A ballet of feathers moved delicately to the rhythm of gentle winds inside great transparent monoliths in an installation designed by Kimi Do, Wilfried Della Rossa, and Thomas Mathieu.

Fruit of a collaboration between French and Chinese cities Lyon, Xi’an, and Canton, this installation conceived by artist LI li and Studio 3003 Collective created a bright, imaginary trip between past and present, dream and reality. A Chinese shadow theatre, a forest filled with lanterns, and a flowering lotus floating on the lake at Tête d’Or Park all contributed to this fantastic journey.

Artists Hélène Richard and Jean-Michel Quesne paid tribute to light with an immersive performance presented in five tableaux projected on the facades at Place des Terreaux. Driven by themes of heritage, history, and symbols, this installation combined mirror effects and beams of light.

This bright, colorful bunch of balloons soaring above the statue of Louis XIV, at Place Bellecour, was the work of artist Jacques Rival.

It was no longer water, but rather light streaming out from the fountain at Place des Jacobins. A system of illuminated cascades was installed by artist Fabrice Oudin, producing the flow, texture, and reflection of water onto the dry monument. It was a dream-like representation, in which glowing fish floated by, captured in translucent bubbles.