At the request of Commissioner Gongora, the Administration conducted feasibility research on the recommended Fete Des Lumiere Festival as well as two local examples to provide the Commission viable comparisons.
"Fete Des Lumiere Festival" is a four (4) night festival in Lyon, France, where artists creatively light buildings, streets, squares and other spaces throughout the city. Artists use a variety of technology, including city lighting, video and projection mapping, as part of a family-friendly display. The total festival cost is unavailable, however, three out of the 250 illuminated cost approximately 300,000 euros or $356,200. Additional funding for the festival is made possible by a public-private funding mechanism. Corporate sponsors play an extensive and practical role in the festival and contribute to the success of the event. The festival has over 80 partners (private, institutional and media), which cover fifty percent of the festival cost.
Local Light Festival Examples:
"Illuminate Coral Gables", City of Coral Gables, FL, a curated outdoor art exhibition featured eight (8) projects that included video projections and art installations by local, national and international artists. The project was a partnership between the City of Coral Gables, the Business Improvement District of Coral Gables, the Coral Gables Chamber of Commerce, and the Coral Gables Art Museum. Budget associated with the project was $1Million.
"Lights on Tampa", Tampa, FL, combines new and existing artworks - a mix of lighting and other works to produce this festival. This project is a partnership between the City of Tampa, Department of Arts & Cultural Affairs and the Public Arts Alliance and is supported by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. Budget associated with the project is over $1 Million.
Light Festival Production Cost Detail:
A light festival would require producing a state-of-the-art 3D animation video that has an approximate cost between $5,000 to $10,000 per minute to create. For example, a twenty (20) minute video is approximately $200,000. The projection of the animation has an approximate cost of $100,000. Therefore, the production and projection of the animation have a combined cost in an amount of approximately $300,000.
Call-to-Artists:
As directed by the NQLC, the Administration reviewed artist submissions for the 2021 No Vacancy program. There were only two (2) submittals by artists specializing in new media (video). On September 8, 2021, The No Vacancy Selection Committee selected ten (10) participating artists, of which only one (1), artist Monika Bravo, is new media artist. Monika Bravo will have a new media projection onto The Betsy Hotel Orb during No Vacancy.