The city of Mons, represented by its handsome mayor Nicolas Martin (PC-Socialist Party), inaugurated Wallonia’s ‘Le plus Grand Festival de Lumiéres’ in the Park Square. The number of ‘artists’ and installations increased in the 2nd edition – 16 installations in a 3 kilometre parkour around the city. Two weekends – 30.01-2.02 and 06.02-09.02. The main news is that the Mons Station, designed by the great architect Santiago Calatrava (back in 2006), is now fully operational. Like all the Spaniard’s works, the flying, rounded, lightweight structures rhyme with the flaming Gothic of Mons, and the main entrance in the form of a flying saucer – with the circular architectonics of the city, on which you walk – as if you were making circles.

On Park Square, the audience was put into a cosmic trance by the installation of a guest star – the Japanese artist Tadashi Kawamata. His cabanas (wooden tree houses) are illuminated by artist Mike Latona. The Japanese artist, born on the island of Hokkaido, often touches on themes of urbanism in his work, with a respect for the ‘genius of place’ and the fusion of architecture with nature. His installations, often in the form of complex wooden structures, question the transience of architecture and highlight the fragility of nature in the face of urbanisation. Within Mons and Lumières, Tadashi Kawamata explores themes of shelters, connection to nature and escape from the modern world. By integrating light into his works in a special way, he adds a magical and poetic dimension that emphasises the connection between urban life, nature and starry skies. He sets the theme of the whole festival ‘Between Heaven and Earth’.

‘Mons en Lumières’ provides the perfect excuse to shed light on an ancient (13th century) city. To discover the cultural centre of Wallonia, which somehow ended up on the periphery. On the artistic side (many of the artists in the project are students of the ARTS art school), on the architectural side – you can find all European styles in it, and also on the gastronomic side. The city of Mons and the art press agency Caracos (many thanks!) provided me with a personalised guide, the wonderful Catherine Stilmant (who works in cultural education), who took me around the parkour and told me about all the projects of the Festival of Light. Our tastes matched and my two favourites were:

‘Mycelium’ (Magicstreet collective).

illuminates the historic garden of Maison Losseau, combining art and nature under the motto ‘Between Earth and Sky’. The building itself is a typical Belgian story, how a wealthy Art Nouveau fan gave the architect carte blanche to build his Maison in this style. In the Garden, you see how Art Nouveau fits in with the architectural styles of its ancestors, from Romanesque to Gothic. Using optical fibres to enhance plant structure, this installation recreates the mycelial network that connects plants using roots. As night falls, the garden transforms into a living picture of light and colour. Visitors wander along an interactive path, discovering glowing halos and rising pillars of light. Mycelium celebrates the invisible but essential connection of nature, reflecting the Art Nouveau aesthetic harmony embodied by Maison Losseau.

‘Stream of Consciousness’ (Claire Ducene and Christophe Baileau).

‘Stream of Consciousness’ transforms the walls of the Hôtel de Graty into animated scenes through video mapping, immersing visitors in a poetic journey. Inspired by the literary concept of ‘stream of consciousness’, the windows light up one by one, revealing silhouettes of artists and writers from Mons, accompanied by a soundtrack combining electronic music and poetry. Each projection pays homage to Mons’ artistic heritage, making this visual and sonic walk a colourful tribute to its history.