Amsterdam’s Love Affair with Light

As the sun goes down over a mossy heath in Blaricum outside Amsterdam, peaks and valleys in the gently undulating ground create the highlights and shadows that have possessed Dutch landscape painters over the centuries. Credit: Nicola Brown

40 street artists from around the world designed the faces of this giant six-metre-high “House of Cards”. Seemingly fragile from a distance, up close this structure of 125 light boxes stands firm. Echoing Amsterdam’s own leaning architecture, the house of cards presents a distinctive view from every angle. Credit: Nicola Brown

In “my light is your light…” a group of stooped, gently-glowing neon figures stand, exhausted, as if they’ve just arrived – refugees – carrying their heavy baggage. Artist Alaa Minawi, himself a Palestinian refugee living in Lebanon, nevertheless builds hope into the picture with the youngest figure, head up, leading the group on. In tolerant and welcoming Amsterdam, they are just steps from finding a new home. Credit: Nicola Brown

Light and water unite as this serpentine spinning wire mimics both the gentle ebb and flow of the canals as well as the wave form of light. In motion just inches above the water, “LIGHT(onda)FLOW” (onda means waves in Spanish) evokes ideas of energy and rhythm in a state of timelessness. Credit: Nicola Brown

This Rembrandt, commonly called The Night Watch, is one of the most famous paintings in the world. It hangs majestically in the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. The powerful use of chiaroscuro (contrast between light and dark) unites Dutch art across the centuries. Credit: Nicola Brown

One of the best ways to experience the Amsterdam Light Festival is on a canal boat tour. A special route called Water Colors takes you around, through and under many of the art installations, including this colour-changing “Lightbridge”. This immersive water-level perspective makes you feel like a participant in the dynamic life of the Amsterdam Light Festival’s art. Credit: Nicola Brown

“On the Wings of Freedom” is an interactive flutter of colour-changing butterflies that appear in mid-flight. The central theme of transformation in this work speaks to the beauty and positivity of change. The installation’s spattering of colourful light aptly reflects that of Amsterdam’s myriad glowing windows and their dappled reflections in the canals. Credit: Nicola Brown

Mangrove forest? Cell membrane? Advanced life form? “Arborescence” is an intriguing and inviting way to contemplate light’s pervasiveness from art to science to nature and beyond. Light is a defining element for humanity; something that connects and unites us all. Credit: Nicola Brown

300 bicycle rims glow like orange slices in “Re(bi)cycle” by Russian-born architect Vasili Popov. But there’s a catch – the dome won’t glow without the work of its spectators, who must power this impressive structure via a water pump. Amsterdam is known for its throngs of cyclists – for many they form the heart and soul of the city. Credit: Nicola Brown

Wandering through this enchanting “Alley of Light” feels transformative. 2000 LED bulbs hang as if magically suspended in mid air, slowly changing in intensity. The four metre by 12 metre forest of shimmering lights evokes peacefulness, hope and the power of creative imagination. Credit: Nicola Brown