Winner of the Tartu Cathedral lighting design competition announced

The winner of the lighting design competition for the Tartu Cathedral is the international team of lighting designers led by lighting design studio LIGHT-TO-LIGHT. The new lighting solution will be completed in 2024.

The Ensemble team presented to the Tartu Cathedral lighting design competition their concept entitled “Koit ja Hämarik” (“Dawn and Dusk”). Their design is inspired by the rich, nuanced light of the Nordic sky, the changing seasons, and the light and shadows in the architecture of the building.

“Although in the legend, Koit and Hämarik could only meet within four weeks once a year, we wish to celebrate love as in their engagement, where love is young and new every day. Our lighting design, like their story, connects the power of love with the Estonian values related to the cycle of light and darkness through the seasons,” said the authors.

The concept was proposed by a team of independent professional lighting designers assembled specifically for this competition and is led by LIGHT-TO-LIGHT (Belgium) in collaboration with Alfred Sá, NUR L+D (Spain) and Chiara Carucci lighting design (Italy).

“Instead of a classic, static lighting solution, the winning entry offers a dynamic play of light and shadows that makes the old walls breathe to the rhythm of nature. We are particularly pleased that the proposed lighting solution avoids light pollution and considers human well-being as well as the preservation of the nocturnal fauna of Toome Hill,” said artist Elo Liiv, a member of the jury.

The lighting design competition for the Tartu Cathedral was organised in two phases. In the first phase, the jury assessed the 19 submitted portfolios and selected the three best.

The two participants who made it to the final round alongside the winner were

• Kevan Shaw Lighting Design (Scotland) and
• ITK Lighting & Mihkel Pajuste Studio (Estonia).

“The winning design is further enhanced by an added inclusive layer allowing, by the shadows it creates, every visitor to be part of the artwork and be a creator. While creating a personal connection, it also builds a strong link with shadows from the past, with those who have left their mark on the cathedral over centuries,” said chair of the jury, Director of the University of Tartu Museum Mariann Raisma.

Besides Elo Liiv and Mariann Raisma, the jury comprised the Artistic Director for the European Capital of Culture Tartu 2024, Kati Ilves, Head of the University of Tartu Estates Office Heiki Pagel, Lighting Designer Eva Tallo, and Landscape Architect Anna-Liisa Unt of the Department of Urban Design of Tartu City Government.

The main prize of the design competition is 8,000 euros and the second and third prizes are 6,000 euros each. The author of the winning entry will be awarded a lighting design contract of 25,000 euros.

The cathedral’s lighting solution is part of the project “Toomemägi Revisited”, which belongs to the main programme of the European Capital of Culture Tartu 2024. More information about the project and the lighting solution is available on the University of Tartu Museum’s website.

Photos and the winning entry designs to illustrate the news can be found here. Source: LIGHT-TO-LIGHT