Light festival transforms Blockheide nature park with art and science

The ninth edition of the “Blockheide leuchtet” light art festival is turning the Blockheide nature park in the Gmünd district into a landscape of illuminated installations, ORF reported. Artists from across Europe are presenting works among its forests, meadows and ponds.

The festival focuses on natural phenomena and encourages visitors to take part. At interactive stations, they can experiment with light sources and optical elements, using reflection, refraction and diffraction to create their own works.

Other performances include musician Margarethe Maierhofer-Lischka’s presentation, in which trees appear to sing, and storyteller Barbara Steinert’s performances beside an LED campfire. The programme is designed to let visitors experience art through multiple senses.

The festival also places emphasis on sustainability. It mainly uses LED technology, and all lights are switched off at midnight so animals and plants can rest in the darkness. Organisers are encouraging visitors to car-share or use public transport. Attendance is limited to 1,000 people per evening.

New this year are support tickets, which allow visitors who can afford it to contribute more to the festival while regular ticket prices remain as low as possible, curator and festival founder Leonardo Bettinelli said.

The festival runs through August 30, with music, dance and storytelling taking place among the installations each evening from 7.30 p.m. until midnight.