Inspiration from the Nordic skies led the LIGHT-TO-LIGHT team to develop the concept of “sunrise and sunset” to illuminate the architecture of the Tartu cathedral in Estonia.

In the history of humanity, legends and tales have been used to explain life on the planet.  This is how the proposal of the LIGHT-TO-LIGHT team, led by lighting designer Fiorenzo Namèche and in collaboration with lighting designers Alfred Sá and Chiara Carucci, convinced the competition jury.

The selection jury included artists such as Elo Liiv, Marian Raisma, artistic director of Tartu, European Capital of Culture 2024, Heiki Pagel, director of the real estate office of the University of Tartu, Eva Tallo, lighting designer, and Anna-Liisa Unt, landscape architect of the department of urban planning of the city of Tartu.

This proposal is inspired by the Estonian legend Koit and Hämarik: respectively dawn and dusk, which distinguish the cycle of light throughout the seasons of the year.

Being inspired by nature, the lit spaces and the shadows evoke emotions that reinforce the Cathedral’s past. Not only by the richness of the colours, but also by the variations of light and shade that reflect the passage of time.

According to artist Elo Liiv, the designers rethought the lighting from static to more dynamic, as the shadow also has a function on the walls of the buildings, limiting light pollution and ensuring the well-being of Toome Hill’s nighttime wildlife and its citizens. Providing an aesthetic, poetic and historical landscape.

LIGHT-TO-LIGHT is now in charge of the final design in order to achieve the lighting installation as part of “Toomemägi Revisited”, a project that is part of the main program of Tartu 2024, European Capital of Culture.