"Recipes for Broken Hearts"

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.