Arts Blog

A new light-based arts festival will take place in Village Gate this July, organizers announced Monday. The event, A Street Light Festival, will showcase interactive art and projects in a multitude of forms, coming from artists, engineers, and performers. The festival will be in conjunction with the international Year of Light, as declared by the UN General Assembly in order to promote global awareness about the importance of light-based technologies and the role it plays in the global society.

The Street Light Festival will be free, running Friday, July 17, and Saturday, July 18, 10 p.m. until 1 a.m., in Village Gate's parking lot, weather permitting. In case of rain, the festival will be held in the 2nd floor lobby.

The festival is open for submissions of multidisciplinary projects the incorporate light as well as sound, performance, and projections. The festival also aims to have the audience reimagine The Village Gate area at night, organizers said.

While not unheard of in larger cities like New York or Toronto, the festival will be the first of its kind in the Rochester and upstate New York areas.

Anyone can submit a light-inspired project. Deadline for submissions is 11:59 p.m. on July 1. Funding is not provided for those submitting works, but those who submit are eligible to win cash prizes ranging from $500 to $1,500.

More information can be found at roctheyol.com.