"Recipes for Broken Hearts"

Boukhara, Uzbekistan patrimony, scenography, districts

CLOSE, by Antony Gormley, in collaboration with Temur Jumaev, and La Sombra Terrestre [The Earth's Shadow], by Delcy Morelos, in collaboration with Baxtiyor Akhmedov
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QOURDS & QURBAN, by Slavs and Tatans, in collaboration with Abdulla Narzullaev
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Untitled, by Marina Perez Simão, in collaboration with Bakhtiyar Babamoradov
Healing, by Behzod Boltaev, in collaboration with Dilnoza Karimova
"Recipes for Broken Hearts"

Boukhara, Uzbekistan patrimony, scenography, districts

Delivery date
2025
Contracting authority
The Uzbekistan Art and Culture Development Foundation
Landscape designer
VOGT Landscape Architects
Lighting design
les éclaireurs
Technical studies
Werner Sobek
Architect
Waiwai

The first edition of the Bukhara Biennial provides an opportunity to develop several rich lighting design projects in parallel. This brings together issues of scenography, public spaces and events. The exhibition venues and the artworks presented during the event are illuminated following ongoing dialogue with the artists, from design to installation. Around the Biennale, the historic city centre of Bukhara, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is enhanced by a new interior and exterior lighting design. Soft white 2700K lighting is installed in public spaces. For the ancient facades, lighting in varying shades of white, controlled by a DMX protocol, is designed. Finally, for the gala dinner on the opening night of the Biennial, a special lighting scheme is devised. In the summer palace, an event stage is set up with candles, lights and projectors creating romantic pathways, evoking a reception in the sultan’s residence. The atmosphere of the site is thus transformed, with, for example, blue grazing lighting and flaming pots in the main howz (central basin). At the foot of the historic wooden tower, a dance stage was set up to host a DJ set.

Buhkara Biennial 2025

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© Courtesy of ACDF

Salt Carried by the Wind, by Subodh Gupta, in collaboration with Baxtiyor Nazirov

Salt Carried by the Wind, by Subodh Gupta, in collaboration with Baxtiyor Nazirov - © Courtesy of ACDF

Blue Room, by Abdulvahid Bukoriy, in collaboration with Jurabek Siddikov

Blue Room, by Abdulvahid Bukoriy, in collaboration with Jurabek Siddikov - © Courtesy of ACDF

QOURDS & QURBAN, by Slavs and Tatans, in collaboration with Abdulla Narzullaev

QOURDS & QURBAN, by Slavs and Tatans, in collaboration with Abdulla Narzullaev - © Courtesy of ACDF

Dark Age is Better, Desert is the Future, by Yun Choi, in collaboration with Bunyod Yunusov and Behzod Yunusov

Dark Age is Better, Desert is the Future, by Yun Choi, in collaboration with Bunyod Yunusov and Behzod Yunusov - © Courtesy of ACDF

CLOSE, by Antony Gormley, in collaboration with Temur Jumaev, and La Sombra Terrestre [The Earth's Shadow], by Delcy Morelos, in collaboration with Baxtiyor Akhmedov

CLOSE, by Antony Gormley, in collaboration with Temur Jumaev, and La Sombra Terrestre [The Earth's Shadow], by Delcy Morelos, in collaboration with Baxtiyor Akhmedov - © Courtesy of ACDF

Untitled, by Marina Perez Simão, in collaboration with Bakhtiyar Babamoradov

Untitled, by Marina Perez Simão, in collaboration with Bakhtiyar Babamoradov - © Courtesy of ACDF

Untitled, by Marina Perez Simão, in collaboration with Bakhtiyar Babamoradov

Untitled, by Marina Perez Simão, in collaboration with Bakhtiyar Babamoradov - © Courtesy of ACDF

Healing, by Behzod Boltaev, in collaboration with Dilnoza Karimova

Healing, by Behzod Boltaev, in collaboration with Dilnoza Karimova - © Courtesy of ACDF

Echo of the Self: The Soul in Motion, the Body Forgotten, by Aziza Shadenova, in collaboration with Andrey Arakelyan

Echo of the Self: The Soul in Motion, the Body Forgotten, by Aziza Shadenova, in collaboration with Andrey Arakelyan - © Courtesy of ACDF

Black Bile, by Pakui Hardware, in collaboration with Alisher Rakhimov and Shokhruckh Rakhimov, and Ongod, by Nomin Zezegmaa, in collaboration with Margilan Crafts Development Centre

Black Bile, by Pakui Hardware, in collaboration with Alisher Rakhimov and Shokhruckh Rakhimov, and Ongod, by Nomin Zezegmaa, in collaboration with Margilan Crafts Development Centre - © Courtesy of ACDF

Kutadgu Bilig, by Saule Suleimenova, in collaboration with Shiru Shakar

Kutadgu Bilig, by Saule Suleimenova, in collaboration with Shiru Shakar - © Courtesy of ACDF

Eight Lives, by Oyjon Khayrullaeva, in collaboration with Raxmon Toirov and Rauf Taxirov

Eight Lives, by Oyjon Khayrullaeva, in collaboration with Raxmon Toirov and Rauf Taxirov - © Courtesy of ACDF