The New York Festival of Light Celebrated the Wonders of Light for Three Nights

	New York Festival of Light Photo: Nicolas Lemery Nantel

For three nights -- November 6 - 8, The New York Festival of Light (NYFOL), illuminated DUMBO, Brooklyn, with a curated collection of lighting installations from renowned artists working in the medium of light from all over the world and right here in New York City. The festival, which was open to the public was programmed to appeal to people of all ages.

The lighting installations interacted with and animated the historic infrastructure of the Anchorage of the Manhattan Bridge and Plaza Tringle area. Several installations including -- artist collective 3_Search's "Initiations," a projection mapping series on the façade of the Anchorage, concert lighting designer Howard Ungerleider's "Lazeration," a laser light show produced for its tunnel, and "lighting magician" Tupac Martir's "Sounds of Nature," a multi-sensory umbrellas on the plaza -- were site-specific.

Crowd pleasers included "Mirror Man," who manipulated 5,000 beams of light with his glass covered body, neo-soprano Nicole Renaud accompanied by her illuminated accordion, "Eyeronman" wearable technology for the visually impaired, custom clothes imbedded with LEDs designed by students from LIM college, and Scratch Box, a lighting "sounding board," where people were able to inscribe their thoughts in light.

Held in partnership with the Dumbo Improvement District, attendance at the first annual New York Festival of Light was unexpected and unprecedented, yet underscored the NYFOL's belief that the public would welcome, appreciate, and be delighted by the wonders of light. Overwhelming crowds on the final night and concern for public safety prompted festival producers and the Dumbo Improvement District to end the festival two-and-a-half hours earlier than originally planned.