Light & Shadow is part of Finland's In the Light, Mikki Kunttu Festival that celebrates Mikki Kunttu’s 30-year career in live entertainment design. Kunttu is an internationally renowned designer known to audiences for his work with Cirque du Soleil, the Eurovision Song Contest, and for many other projects including concerts, opera and dance.
The Light & Shadow international conference focuses on lighting and visualization for performance and takes place at Tampere Hall, Finland, Wednesday the 28th of September 2022 from 9am to 6pm It features some of the world's top creative designers, artists, and visionaries. Light & Shadow is aimed at both the professional and student audiences and is a great opportunity for promoters, artistic directors, producers, and creatives to network while getting insights into the artistic processes of these industry icons. Tickets for Light & Shadow are available here.
Keynote Speakers
- LeRoy Bennett (Paul McCartney, Prince, Lady Gaga, Beyoncé, Rammstein, The Weeknd)
- Mikki Kunttu (Cirque du Soleil, Nightwish, Apocalyptica, Boston Ballet, Tero Saarinen, Finnish National Opera)
- Christopher Bauder (WHITEvoid, Dark Matter Berlin)
- Ola Melzig (Eurovision Song Contest, American Song Contest)
- Ralph-Jörg Wezorke (Lightpower)
Kunttu says, "It is such an honor for us to have LeRoy Bennett as the keynote speaker of this seminar. Bennett, a CEO and creative director of Seven Design Works, is known throughout the entertainment industry as one of the most iconic innovators in cutting edge production, lighting, and stage design world-wide. As live performance continues to press the boundaries of technology and innovation, LeRoy continues to be the top industry leader in executing these masterful creations."
Bennett founded and expanded Seven Design Works in 2012, delivering unforgettable stage moments for live concert tours, Super Bowl half-time performances, stadium shows, and special events for film and television. He continues to push creative and physical limits of stage technology through his work with major musical icons and has a passion for incubating new talent growth within the industry.
LeRoy has recently won the Knights of Illumination Award in the category of “Concert Touring Arena” for his work on Lady Gaga’s 2014 Artrave: The Artpop Ball tour, and the Parnelli Award in the category of “Set/Scenic Designer of the Year” for his work on Maroon 5’s 2015 World Tour.
Christopher Bauder is another great addition to our spectacular line up of keynotes. Bauder started creating large scale spacial art installations and lighting design after finishing his studies in the Digital Media Class at the Berlin University of the Arts. His projects focus on the translation of bits and bytes into objects and environments and vice versa. Space, object, sound, light, and interaction are the key elements of his work.
In 2004 he founded the multidisciplinary art and design studio WHITEvoid as a necessity to realize his large scale art and design pieces and environments. The studio is comprised of specialists in interaction design, media design, product design, interior architecture and electronic engineering. In 2013, Bauder founded KINETIC LIGHTS specialising in engineering and manufacturing professional kinetic lighting equipment. He is best known for his city-wide light art installation “Lichtgrenze”, created in 2014 together with his brother Marc, for the 25th anniversary of the Fall of the Berlin Wall.
The founder of Lightpower, Ralph-Jörg Wezorke will guide the audience behind the scenes of some of the largest spectacles of all time. Mr. Wezorke has had a ringside seat to the lighting industry since 1970’s. What have been the most remarkable and industry changing moments over these decades? How does the future look in the post-pandemic world?
The day will be hosted by the legendary Ola Melzig. There are very few technical producers around the world with such a mind-blowing resume. Ola is well connected and a well-known figure throughout the industry after 15 years of working as a Head of Production for Eurovision Song Contest in various European countries. Ola’s latest masterwork was taking the world by a storm with American Song Contest.
What makes Light & Shadow exceptional is not only its scope and the width of different types of expertise, but also Mikki Kunttu’s commitment to bringing people together to an international event. Light & Shadow seminar will allow us to learn from each other, to support each other, to catch a breath and to regain energies after a period that has affected our entire sector globally.
Light & Shadow aims to bring the speakers close to the audience, we want to talk about what we feel is the most essential to the path we are on as designers and professionals. What it is to live the life of a designer and which events have had the biggest impact on us over the years. Sharing with the next generation is very important and that is exactly what this event is all about. See you soon beyond light and shadow.
The seminar is produced in collaboration with Tampere Hall, MA Lighting, Lightpower, Claypaky, Harman/Martin, Arri, MDG, Robe Lighting, Pyroman Oy, Ayrton, LIVE Design, Lighting and Sound International, Intersonic Oy, Ralph Larmann, Chauvet Professional, Yle, Akun Tehdas and Music x Media.