Bright Festival Debuts in Florence with Digital Arts Focus

Bright Festival, a new digital arts festival, has launched in Florence, running until February 23. The event is funded by the Florence Chamber of Commerce and private partners as part of a strategy to boost cultural tourism during low season. Directed by Claudio Caciolli and a team of under-30 curators, the festival takes place at two venues: TSH Collab and Florence Out Of Ordinary (FOOO) at The Student Hotel, and the Stazione Leopolda. It features over 55 guests, including electronic music pioneer Derrick May, Italian producer Big Fish, and Bolivian DJ Iva. The program includes talks, masterclasses, performances, live sets, interactive installations, videomapping, and workshops, with a strong educational component. Highlights include a lighting and sound design show at the Leopolda, enveloped in fog; Kepler-406B, an interactive installation by Roberto Fazio tracking exoplanets; Countdown by Luca Agnani, an architectural light and music piece; Pinball, a 5-meter videomapping by Gianluca Del Gobbo; and The Frame, an immersive work by MouFactory. Tommaso Sacchi, head of the Florence Culture Department, praised the festival for confronting the city's heritage with contemporary languages.