Festival of Lights 2024. VIDEO. Saint-Jean Cathedral at the time of the final technical tests

One of the key sites for the illuminations is the site of Saint-Jean Cathedral, in Old Lyon. This year, it is enhanced by the German artist Julian Höscher with his light installation called “Mother”. But behind the magic, there is a whole complex technical installation… Tests took place Tuesday evening, two days before the start of the 2024 Festival of Lights.

A little taste of the Festival of Lights on the facade of Saint-Jean Cathedral, on the eve of the start of the 25th edition of this Lyon event.

The facade of the Saint-Jean primatial church will be highlighted for four days. This emblematic place of the Festival of Lights has become a must. The behind the scenes of this sound and light animation are not far away. The technicians installed their equipment on the other side of the square, on the top floor of the MJC du Vieux-Lyon. “We went up three floors with very heavy machines“, explains Pascal Leroy, technical director of “Rencontres Audiovisuelles”. “First, there is the placement of the machines. This is crucial and difficult. Once placed, the beam must pass through the window”, adds Pascal Leroy.

Six spotlights are therefore focused on the religious building. To cover the entire east facade of the primatial building, two projectors are directed at the top of the building, two at the central part and two at the bottom.

For a millimeter-precise rendering, the cathedral was modeled and broken down into a checkerboard. Small, perfect squares provide precise cutting of the facade. It's time for final adjustments.“We see the connections between the different projectors. Each projector is pointed at a targeted area of ​​the building, this allows you to see the overlapping connections and readjust”explains Aurélien Wojtko, media operator. The various light panels must be legible for passers-by. An aesthetic and technical challenge.

But these Lille technicians are regulars, mapping specialists. “Mapping consists of wrapping a building with images and bringing a facade to life,” summarizes Pascal Leroy. A lively and immersive show that visitors can admire after dark.

The work created by German artist Julian Höscher and called “Mother”, is a tribute to mother nature. “He tried to work around stone, buildings, particularly with color schemes, and raw materials. It is a tribute to our planet and to all this material that it allows us to have to build a building like this cathedral.”explains Benjamin Durand, manager of “Rencontres Audiovisuelles”.

Test runs took place on Tuesday evening, to the delight of passers-by who were able to get a taste of the party, without the crowds.