Sunday 23 July 2017

Festival of Light in Jerusalem 2017

The Festival of Light in Jerusalem is an annual event which attracts hundreds of thousands of people from Israel and abroad. It's one of my favourite festivals. Visitors are invited to stroll along the paths of the Old City, taking in the magical atmosphere of the Old City walls and cobblestone streets which are illuminated with an amazing variety of modern light art installations, created by both local and international artists. This year was the 9th festival and my fourth visit. You can read about my previous visits here, here and here. We didn't go last year because honestly we were a little afraid to walk around parts of the Old City at night, but this year the pull was too great for me and we simply avoided walking to the Damascus Gate, which has sadly seen far too many terror attacks in recent times.
Unlike previous years, where several routes were offered taking us through different areas of the Old City, this year there was just one long route, which took us from one art installation to another. I actually preferred it this way, though the arrows marking the way were sometimes hard to see in the dark. Exhibits this year included a giant illuminated puppet, big glowing bunnies, and spinning tops made from LED lights hovering and dancing above the cardo. I'm going to say at this point that this year was not my favourite year. Truthfully, I was a little disappointed with some of the exhibits, though there were definitely some incredible pieces that are worth mentioning here.
I found the audiovisual show, which told the story of the unification of the City of Jerusalem on the walls from Zahal Square to Jaffa Gate, so moving, even though it was hard to see it all with so many people around, and I absolutely loved the "Solaris" projection, created by Visualsupport of Poland, on the Hurva Synagogue, a historic synagogue located in the Jewish Quarter of the Old City. We were mesmerized by the magical sounds, kaleidoscope of energetic colours and colourful patterns, so much so that we watched it twice! As you can see from the photos below, it was quite stunning.
"Moon Haze", a huge, radiant 10-metre moon placed on Tiferet Israel Street and created by Feng Jiacheng and Huang Yuanbei of China, allowed us to reach the moon, while "Journey into Space" at the junction of New Gate Road and Ha Achim Pereire Street, created by Israel's Moshe Kimchi, hovered overhead and reminded us of science fiction movies. From there the route led us to New Gate and out from the Old City Walls.
Finally, the "HeartBeat" installation created by GNI Projects, UK, deserves a mention. By joining hands in front of the sculpture, a circuit was completed and a pulsing heart was revealed. Once the connection was lost, the heart was broken into fragments again. It was a fun interactive experience, great for lovers, family and friends, and for us it was a fun way to end a special evening in Jerusalem.

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22 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wonderful! The images of Hurva Synagogue are gorgeous.
Funnily enough I was writing about a light festival in London and Durham yesterday. So it was wonderful to see Jerusalem today. Great artists combined with technology can deliver some amazing sights.

Budget Travel Talk said...

Although you say it is not the best year you have been it is still wonderful. :) Art installations, especially coloured lights are special. Thanks for linking up with Travel Photo Thursday.

Carol @Comfort Spring Station said...

I love night light shows. You did a fantastic job capturing the displays.

Miss Val's Creations said...

I always love seeing your photos from the Festival of Light. It looks so magical and such a feast for the eyes! I am happy to hear is was safe enough this year to attend.

Anda said...

My husband and I want very badly to visit Jerusalem. There is so much history tied up to this city! The Festival of Lights looks like a good time to be there. It looks very atmospheric. Thank you for joining me for #TheWeeklyPostcard, Lisa. Hope to see you there next week-end as well.

Anonymous said...

Thanks you much for taking us on tour with you on this festival of light and sharing it with All Seasons! - the pulsing heart sounds stunning, and am glad they allowed China to participate with this moon. My guess is it becomes a habit when you live in Israel you are on your alert at all times about where to go and where not!

Mia said...

It looks a great festival, my friend. Great photos!

VeggieMummy said...

Absolutely stunning! You are very wise to be safety conscious but I'm so glad that you managed to see all this. My favourite bit was the moon. I would love to visit Israel one day; it seems like a very special place, xx

California Globetrotter said...

Love light festivals! So cool to see how something so simple can be much loved by many around the world! Thanks for linking up with #TheWeeklyPostcard!

Lyn aka The Travelling Lindfields said...

Sydney, Australia, where I live has a very similar festival each year. It is called Vivid Sydney and it is just fabulous. I can understand why the Festival of Light is your favourite festival because Vivid is mine.

likeschocolate said...

That is so cool! Thanks for sharing! Lucky you were able to go see it!

Cheryl said...

What a wonderful display. Must have been amazing to see it. Beautiful patterns and colours. #MMBC

restlessjo said...

These events are wonderful, Lisa, aren't they? I'm looking forward to Lumiere in Durham again this November. It's on every two years and features the same kind of installation. There's always something astounding.
By any chance did you see my walk last week? It was a light festival of a totally different kind. :)

Ruth said...

Had not idea something like this existed. I am amazed by the many light festivals that take place all over the world. It will be nice to attend one. Glad you enjoyed your visit this year! #TPThursday

Tamar SB said...

Wow!! I've seen some other friends share pics from this - gorgeous light!

NCSue said...

It's actually quite startling to see the effect of the colored lights on the ancient wall of the old city. But beautiful... quite beautiful.
Thanks so much for sharing at http://image-in-ing.blogspot.com/2017/07/hhhhiiiiiiiisssssssss.html

kateonthinice said...

Lovely images but even more I love when I learn something from picturs and posts. My late Mum always wanted to visit and did so in her Seventies and loved it

Claudya Martinez said...

Wow, I'm blown away by these images.

betty-NZ said...

What a fantastic place to be! It looks so amazing.

Unknown said...

I never knew they did a festival of light in Jerusalem, one of my favorite cities in the world. Gorgeous.

Debbie said...

Hi Lisa, this festival of lights looks amazing. If you didn't feel safe going last year then others must feel the same way too, which is such a shame and a sad sign of the times. The display with the pulsing heart sounds like a display to encourage love and friendship.

Thank you for linking up with the #MMBC.

XX

Jibberjabberuk said...

I'm glad you were able to make it to the festival even though it wasn't as good as previous years. Still looks like quite a spectacle.

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