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Message of light from Nakanoshima

From well within the second Japanese City, a strand of light links up Osaka and France.
From time immemorial, Humanity has celebrated light. It is also the light as a symbol of knowledge, open-mindedness, freedom and concord. “France Land of Lights” pays a tribute to the French creativity and its unique capacity for combining Culture, Art and Urban planning. The Japanese public is offered to travel France Land of Lights

The theme of Champagne will pervade the whole Nakanoshima avenue, Champagne for this festive time, Champagne also to celebrate this new Light tie between Osaka and France and Champagne to commemorate the adhesion of the first Japanese City -Osaka -to the French network LUCI (Lighting Urban Community International).

All welcome to Nakanoshima, Osaka, From December 12 to December 25

Maïa MANIGLIER
Project conceptor “France Land of Lights 2009 »
Creator of “French-Japanese Lights” project

“France des Lumières 2009″
From December 12 to December 25 2009 17:00 to 22:00
At Nakanoshima island, Osaka, Japan

Organised by OSAKA LIGHT RENAISSANCE and “France Land of Lights 2009 »Committee
Under the Patronage of the French Embassy, Ubifrance, Atout France and LUCI association
With the participation of : Air France, Peugeot
With the collaboration of : MCDecaux
( download : flyer Back+flyer Face)

Avenue Air France
Axe de l’île de Nakanoshima, cette avenue devient le cœur de ” France des Lumières ” autour duquel s’articulent les festivités lumineuses. C’est le point de départ de ce voyage vers la France des Lumières.

Marché de Lumière : Découverte de produits Français, expériences gastronomiques etc
Et une chance de gagner des billets d’avions et valise vintage Air France… !

Maison France : Pour fêter le 40ème anniversaire de la ligne Osaka-Paris : exposition d’affiches “rétro”

Place Peugeot : Mise en scène de LED, vous y découvrirez une voiture au toit transparent, idéale pour admirer les illuminations.
Et à gagner : bicyclette Peugeot …

How the project “French-Japanese Lights” was conceived
OSAKA LIGHT RENAISSANCE was born in 2003 thanks to the will of Osaka’s Town Council to make priority investments on Illuminations as an essential factor in lighting up the City and to link its citizens with a shared project.
In 2008, within the frame of the commemoration of the 150th anniversary of French-Japanese relationships, and aiming at promoting exchanges between the City of Osaka and France, the project “French-Japanese Lights” saw the light following Maïa Maniglier (a Parisian)’s initiative.

In 2008, the 1.380.000 visitors attending OSAKA LIGHT RENAISSANCE discovered the first project “French-Japanese Lights”, a festive event whose advertizing and economic repercussions were dealt with by the Japanese press.
In the Nakanoshima island, the location of OSAKA LIGHT RENAISSANCE, the Western part was devoted to France and presented “Chartres Illuminated”, a French-Japanese light event, an exhibition “Night and Day light messages” by JIDA (Japan Industrial Designer’s Association), a French goods Market, wines, pastries, Christmas candies, Fashion accessories…
The Symposium “Osaka Lighting Project” was focusing on “Urban development and Lightings in France” chaired by Mr Hisanori Isomura, founder of the House of Japan in Paris

Thanks to the “French-Japanese Lights” project, the City of Osaka adhered in 2009 to the French network LUCI (Lighting Urban Community International), thus allowing the Osaka lightings to accede to the International scene.

Illumination of cities via the highlighting of a cultural heritage for festive or perennial events has drastically evolved during the last few years thanks to more and more performing technical innovations and because cities become aware of its significance.
Lighting effects amounts to a genuine artistic creation, where lighting up has become a real performance, offering dreams to the spectators agog at such fascinating “Sounds and Lights” shows imagined by “light designers”.
France has a pioneer stand in the field of lightings up, thanks to its past in creating the first Sound and Light shows, to its History in installing the first Light-plans of cities, its know-how, its technologies and originality of its artistic creations.

In September 2009, the City of Chartres has exhibited in turn the City of Osaka’s illuminations (Light festival/Chartres Illuminated - in the presence of the Minister M. Novelli), thus reinforcing the light tie between Osaka and France.

For 2009, thanks to the public gratitude and to the Osaka Mayor, Mr. Hiramatsu, the new Eastern area of OSAKA LIGHT RENAISSANCE is devoted to France. In the vicinity of the neo-classical building of the Public Hall, of the banks and the avenue recently inaugurated, the island of Nakanoshima-historical and cultural center of Osaka- draws its inspiration from France to create a mise en scene of Light :“France Land of Lights 2009 ».

About “OSAKA Hikari Renaissance“

This year, to add to the annual light arcade “Nakanoshima Illumination Street”, the “Wall Tapestry” which turns the outer walls of the Osaka Prefectural Nakanoshima Library into a screen. We will feature the new “Starlight City Square”, the “France des Lumières” to take place on the street in front of the Osaka City Central Public Hall, as well as the “Rose Light Garden & East Light Park” which will be the “East Place”, in the renewed Nakanoshima Park (Rose garden/Kensaki)
The “West Place” held in the western area of Nakanoshima since last year, will also be held again this year. We invite you to the venue, which will be of a larger scale this year to encompass the whole of the Nakanoshima area.
Please enjoy the wonders of Osaka, where light is a part of it’s culture.