Winning the Dutch Creativity Awards 2022 and 3 Lovie Awards, the fourth chapter of the Dreamscapes series omits traditional fireworks for biodegradable sparks of light
The issue of fireworks and the bad air pollution
The use of fireworks is both a blessing and a burden. Across the world, festivals like Independence Day in the United States, the Lantern Festival in China, and the Diwali Festival in India all involve their employment.
Fireworks have been the topic of much criticism in recent years, from the pollutants they emit to the noise they make, not to mention the fact that public firework displays have been mainly banned due to the pandemic. It was reported that in the year 2019, 77 million euros worth of fireworks were purchased by private individuals in the Netherlands, all to be blown up in the sky in mere hours.
These well-liked shows release a lot of pollutants into the air, occasionally leading to very bad air pollution, according to researches done by ACS’ Environmental Science & Technology even so-called ecologically friendly fireworks that emit 15–65% less particulate matter still considerably worsen the air quality due to the high quantities of air pollutants they emit, such as particulate matter (PM), sulfur dioxide, heavy metals, and perchlorates.
The DreamScapes Series: biodegradable fireworks
Daan Roosegaarde, a Dutch artist and innovator come out to the public with his latest creation: SPARK, the fourth project in the DreamScapes series, a lyrical performance in which thousands of biodegradable sparks of light drift naturally through the air, proves that it is possible to commemorate occasions with sustainable pyrotechnics instead of conventional and damaging ways of celebration such as fireworks, balloons, drones and confetti. «Two and a half years ago my students were once discussing with me the idea that they thought their future was frozen, that they were inheriting all the global challenges with no proper toolkit to fix them. Not to mention the good things like celebration and fireworks are now banned because of so much air pollution. I thought of how we can keep the tradition of celebration but modernize it».
SPARK – an ecological future
SPARK project makes use of a poetic gesture to inspire everyone to go on a journey to an ecological future where the customs we cherish so dearly develop for the benefit of everyone while retaining all of their beauty. «People are very receptive to change; we just need to show it and instill the idea properly».
This new piece by Roosegaarde presents a planet-friendly alternative to our concept of celebration, in keeping with his desire to produce artworks and design that improve daily living in urban surroundings, ignite imagination, and seek to combat the climate catastrophe showing that there is indeed a materialized dream through it all that will help improve the world.
With SPARK, the design studio rethinks community-bonding customs and suggests an improvement to the culturally ingrained ritual of fireworks.
A wonderland for sustainable celebrations
This organic firework display of mystical lights measures 50 x 50 x 60 meters and can be seen from miles away, making use of thousands of biodegradable lights that naturally float through the air.
The factor of wind is what propels the biodegradable light particles’ motion, as the Dutch artist puts it himself «in this huge cloud of fifty meters in height inspired by fireflies we play with color and the wind makes it look different every time. We always make a site-specific design, making the whole area dark but then only lighting up some architectural elements in order to mimic the effect of a dreamworld but part of it is still reality so it’s less show and more of an atmosphere and an ambiance».
The choreography is inspired by nature; providing a visual spectacle without disturbing the serenity and quiet of the night or emitting dangerous smoke..
A message of harmony: land, light and art
Several of the studio’s work has been recognized as being ‘immersive’ and ‘interactive’ because they modify the surroundings of visitors in response to their behavior. Aiming to raise environmental consciousness and to offer an artistic component to technological solutions to environmental concerns.
SPARK first premiered in Bilbao, Roosegarde admits he himself had doubts if the public would be open to his latest Spark initiative, «they reached out and wanted to work with us. Spain has an intrinsic relationship with traditional fireworks and a very big history in celebration and they see it as part of their cultural heritage. So, we were a bit hesitant on whether or not they were going to like it or not, but in the end we proposed it to them and they loved it, having it in a public park for a couple of nights».
Dutch Creativity Awards 2022
Following the project’s success, it was then exhibited all over the world like Aix-en-Provence, Madrid, and London. The project has also won the Dutch Creativity Awards 2022 and 3 Lovie Awards including People’s Lovie Winner.
For the future versions of the project, Roosegarde proposes incorporating the idea of creating sustainable celebratory sparks alongside another element for any environmentally conscious city: urban forestry. «We are thinking of implementing little seeds in them; so, you do SPARK and then three months later you have full grown flowers. Instilling the idea of creating these fireworks that in turn will feed the city instead of damaging it. When you talk about a sustainable city or circular thinking that’s the future way to go, I see it part of the smart city movement.
A Mindshift needed
For mankind to truly be able to transform their future, they must first imagine that future that is worth the change in the first place, create that picturesque idea that one envisions for the future generations. «We have to wonder and we have to think and propose and show that it can be done in a different way.
Now, it fits into the idea of learning from nature and trying to find a new balance and you can apply that kind of design thinking to many other themes like mobility, fashion or waste. It just shows the power of imagination and the power of light to connect with a better future».
Technology, money and politics is what drives us to talk about the future and they are the true incentivizes that help us imagine a world of beauty as a strategy to help people create change, Roosegarde concludes, «show me one news article that is optimistic about the future it doesn’t exist and that’s the problem because if we cannot imagine a future, we cannot also create it. With this project I hope that we can at least show a different way but we are just at the beginning». Continuing their world tour, SPARK is to be scheduled for another show coming this March from the 24th till the 26th in Auckland, New Zealand.
Daan Roosegaarde
Artist, designer, architect and inventor that studied Fine Arts and then Architecture at the Berlage Institute in Rotterdam. In the year 2007 he founded his firm, Roosegarde Studio, which creates projects that combine technology and art in urban settings. According to Forbesand Wired, Roosegaarde is among the innovators of our time and a member of the NASA Innovation Team.
