In 2006 Eindhoven realized the first Dutch Festival of Light – an international exhibition of art and design installations in public space which make use of light as a material, a medium and/or an object. It established itself immediately as the new highlight in the annual agenda of the city.

In 2007 the successful partnership with the curators Bettina Pelz and Tom Groll will be continued: From November 8th to the 18th, twenty light installations will be positioned in the city’s centre – as a temporary addition to the permanent installations of architectural and urban lighting which have been developed over the recent years by the city administration.

The temporary installations of a festival are an inspiring framework to reinforce the idea of public space as a public forum. Eindhoven is among the cities which develop new approaches to public activities in the city’s centre to enhance public life. With its wide range of good restaurants and unique pubs it is an urban space that offers excellent options for night-time activities. Like GLOW 2006, the art and design installations of GLOW 2007 will offer a new outlook on the nocturnal potential of the city. During GLOW 2007, artists, lighting designers and architects will bring invisible parts of the city to light. For all installations it is self-understood that they work along the parameters of contemporary lighting design and/or that they are outstanding in their artistic qualities.

During GLOW 2006, public gardens and the green banks of the river Dommel were the hosting spots for the light installations. Usually they don’t offer enough light to make themselves a safe, comfortable and attractive urban space in the night. With the installations of GLOW they made 50 000 people experience the beautiful synergy between natural environments and the amazing possibilities of artificial light. In 2007 the installations will highlight locations which are connected with aspects of the city’s development and its actual state but which are not visible in daily life. Throughout the city’s centre overlooked and forgotten, inaccessible and underutilized spaces will be open to the public to generate the discussion: What Is The Contemporary City? What Makes City Spaces Memorable And Recognizable? How Do Citizens Nowadays Make Use Of Their City? What Are The Anchor points Of Identification? How Does It Work For Guests and Visitors? And How Does It Function For Commerces and Industries? How For The Scientific Communities? How Can The Performance Of A City Be Improved? And How Can A City - Beyond Being A Geographical And Architectural Context - Be Experienced In All It’s Dimensions?

Among the cooperative partners are the municipality of Eindhoven, the Centrum Kunstlicht in de Kunst, the Vanabbe-Museum, MU Art Foundation and other partners GLOW 2007 will proof one more time that Eindhoven is The Dutch meeting point of knowledge and competence in the reflected use of artificial light.

The General Meeting of the international network Lighting Urban Communities International (LUCI) will take place during GLOW as well as the annual conference of the association of the Dutch lighting designers.