“Core” by Adrien M. & Claire B.
By Rachel Galvin
Tripping the light fantastic may be an idiom related to dance, but it also is what comes to my mind when thinking of what I just experienced at Mad Arts in Dania Beach last night during their special media event, a sneak peek at some of what will be available next week at IGNITE Broward.
Each room included a different artist’s interpretation of how light can be transformed into art. Each room seems to take you into a different world. It isn’t just the beauty of the light forms that entice, but the ability to interact with them. It is as if the light is alive and changing itself based on you. In the case of “Resonances,” by LP Rondeau, stepping into the art actually changes your form, at least the way it is projected on the wall in front of you. “Luminescent Sylva” by MadLabs takes you into a forest with images projected on all sides, sounds of the forest and even an earthen floor complete with fauna and rocks to make it appear as though you really have stepped outside into a forest. Richard Vergez combines sound, light and imagery in a new way. With all the angst of industrial music with discordant sounds that he can manipulate in real time, surveillance cameras taking video of the room and projecting it, combined with light and a video of a couple kissing, it is a mishmosh of symbols that beg for interpretation. Both harsh in tone and strangely comforting, his art goes old school, using only analog equipment.
These are just three of the 27 immersive experiences by international and local artists that will be on display in Dania Beach and Fort Lauderdale during IGNITE Broward, which takes place Jan. 24-28. Presented by Mad Arts and The Broward County Cultural Division, this event has doubled in size, having grown from 10,000 in 2022 to more than 30,000 people last year.
Phillip Dunlap, director of the Broward Cultural Division, who was in attendance at the media event, has said he expects IGNITE’s audience to grow even further this year. “The sensory-rich artworks on display show how groundbreaking technology can be used to create extraordinary social experiences that evoke a sense of wonder in us all,” he said.
Besides art displays, there also will be hands-on workshops, lectures and performances by Tine Bech Studio, Richard Vergez and Holly Danger. There will also be everything from poetry reading via interactive 3D holoboxes by Ana María Caballero to live performance that integrates traditional mural painting with digital projection art by Rosanna Kalis.
At the festival kickoff in Esplanade Park, guests will dance to a live audiovisual show featuring projection art by Holly Danger and electronic music by Tapered Shapes.
After the family-friendly event is through, several of the artists will continue to have their art on display at the new Mad Arts Museum, which is set to open here at 481 S. Federal Hwy. in Dania Beach on Jan. 30.
Schedule of events
Kick-Off Event
Wednesday, January 24, 7-10 PM
Museum of Discovery & Science Atrium (401 SW 2 St., Fort Lauderdale)
Join the countdown and celebrate the beginning of IGNITE Broward.
Daily 10 AM – 8 PM: 22 exhibits will take over the gallery and exterior spaces at Mad Arts in Dania Beach (481 S. Federal Highway), with extended viewing until 11 PM on Friday and Saturday. Artworks by Shuster + Moseley, LP Rondeau, Adrien M & Claire B, Studio McGuire, OLO Creative Farm, Makoto Tojiki, JS Baillat, Ottomata, Diagraf, Thomas Garnier, Jaime Reyes + ReThread, Holly Danger, Richard Vergez, Akiko Yamashita, Josh Miller & Angela Fraleigh, Rosanna Kalis, MadLabs and Tine Bech Studio will be on display.
Nightly 6 – 10 PM: Downtown Fort Lauderdale will feature five spectacular outdoor, digital, light-based art sculptures and 3D projection mapping installations at the Museum of Discovery & Science (401 SW 2 St.) and Esplanade Park (400 SW 2 St.) with extended viewing until 11 PM on Friday and Saturday. Artworks by MadLabs, Ottomata, ANAISA FRANCO STUDIO, Tine Bech Studio and Scot DiStefano / Verve Multi will be on display.
For more information, visit IGNITEBroward.com. #IgniteBroward
Luminescent Sylva by MadLabs 
The Light Pours Out of Me by Richard Vergez 
Existence by Makoto Tojiki 
Laser Like Water by JS Baillat, Ottomata, Diagraf 
Forest Perception- If a Tree Talks in a Forest, Does Anyone Listen by Akiko Yamashita 
Ophelia by Studio McGuire 
A Thousand Times Forever by Holly Danger 
4th Dimension by OLO Creative Farm 
The Hunter by Studio McGuire