Milan is currently the host of 33 large-scale lighting installations. (6 December – 10 January.) In the evenings, I’ve wandered through town to see the pieces and love how it changes the night scene, the visual texture and energy of the city. These intriguing works of light encourage after-dark strolls.

Along Corso Vittorio Emanuele, Milano’s hot shopping street between the Duomo and the Galleria, these jewels of “Spiro Gira” hover over the street:

In the piazza in front of San Fedele, floats an illuminated satellite:

The facade of Teatro alla Scala requires a patient observation. Music is broadcast in the piazza and the theatre’s face is transformed with light throughout the performance. Here, the building becomes a library of treasured, old books, including Leonardo’s “Codex Atlanticus”:

One of Milano’s several luxe shopping sites is the Galleria di Vittorio Emanuele, with Prada and McDonald’s at its center. As a part of the lighting installation event, the Galleria dome is draped in blue lights, illuminated when two people kiss under the giant mistletoe beneath. (One euro is being donated for every kiss.)

Near my home, at the convergence of the canals, the arches at Porta Ticinese have been illuminated with long strands of sparkle and a changing wash of color:

I can see that there are many more pieces for me to seek out! There will be many more evening strolls after the first of the year.

This web site offers an index of the lighting installations:
http://www.ledfestival.it/index.html

Here’s the summary from the City of Milano website about the project:

DESIGN LIGHTS UP THE CITY

Milan calls the creative excellences in order to furnish and adorn with light the metropolis: young talents and great designers will transform the city in an open air stage of installations and works of contemporary art and design.

Milan lightens itself of design: a great competition among the young talents of the most important Schools and Academies of the metropolis and a special invitation to the most important designers of the contemporary scene, will transform the city in a laboratory of ideas and experimentation in order to give life to an open air stage of light’s installations, projections and stages of design and contemporary art.

LED is a project that will be developed in more phases, opening with a great competition. Students and former students, professional people, Italians and foreigners, are called to be compared and to project works of light in order to furnish the city and illuminate squares, avenues, historical parks, monuments and buildings, from the city centre to the suburbs. A skilful work of experimentation and research that, during the month of May, will see the exhibition of the winners and great designers projects. The finalists will be rewarded in that occasion from a prestigious jury and will win the realization of their own work in order to `adorn’ with light and creativity the city in the month of December 2009.

Out of competition: a special invitation will be addressed to the great masters of the design, ten excellent names both Italians and foreigners. Their projects will illuminate Milan for the next Christmas period alongside the works of the young talents.

Milan, already Capital of the design, becomes with LED an international display window, a place of innovation able to offer a stimulating ‘cultural experience’ for the exchange and the comparison of knowledge. An appointment that involves the entire creative and productive system of the metropolis, increasing from the first edition the expositive circuit from the public places to the  art galleries, the ateliers and the shows-room, in a logic of a widespread event that can involve the city to 360 degrees.