Light spectacle on Monday Organisers in lockdown low send a shining call for help into the night
Lohmar · In the night from Monday to Tuesday, buildings and monuments in Lohmar and Siegburg will be bathed in red light: The event industry is drawing attention to their situation through the corona lockdown by a lighting initiative for the “Night of Light”.
A huge robot-like creature, the “Protector”, is standing in front of the Pauline von Mallinckrodt children's home and is supposed to protect the residents. The sculpture, which the Siegburg artist Volker Bremer created with young people from the home from scrap metal parts, is striking in itself. Next Monday it will also be illuminated in red light as part of the nationwide “Night of Light” campaign, which is intended to draw attention to the precarious situation of the event industry during this time.
Uli Hoppert, owner of Siren Media Event Technology Siegburg, is participating in the initiative. Companies from the event industry and event locations, but also from the fields of trade fair construction, event technology, catering or stage construction, in addition to event agencies, will set the scene by illuminating buildings with red light in the night from 22 to 23 June between 10 p.m. and 1 a.m.
Children's home and chapel will be illuminated
The “passionate appeal and call for help to politicians to save the event industry” was initiated by the Essen-based company LK, provider of live and brand communication. Hoppert chose the Pauline von Mallinckrodt children's home not only to be able to take part in the campaign, but also to bring joy to the home: “On the one hand, because the home is doing an excellent job and on the other hand, because the children haven't had much to laugh about in the last few weeks either,” he explains.
He also is also including the chapel on the grounds of the home in his project. The interior of the church will be illuminated so that the red light shines out through the glass windows. The director of the home, Sonja Boddenberg, was in her own words, “immediately enthusiastic” about Hoppert's idea.
The event industry suddenly had no more work
“We would have supported every sector, because everyone is feeling bad at the moment and we must show solidarity,” said Boddenberg. She is using the light installation as an opportunity to organise a small event for the adolescent units of the home. “We will prepare non-alcoholic cocktails and enjoy the evening around a campfire,” she announced.
According to Hoppert, the event industry has been particularly hard hit by the Corona crisis. Since the lockdown on 13 March, all major events were prohibited from one day to the next, and sales revenue has dropped to zero. He does not see a return to normality in the foreseeable future, he says.
A light initiative is also taking place in Siegburg: The event DJs Sascha Gansen and Mario Scholz are also following the call of the LK and are bathing the monument in the market place in red light.
(Original text; Paul Kieras, translation John Chandler)
