Concept note for the Story of Light festival -- bringing together science, art, and culture to give the public a taste of the magic that is our universe!

1. THE STORY OF LIGHT FESTIVAL
An intersection of science, culture, and art
Concept Note
February 2014

2. CONCEPT
Concepts in astrophysics and quantum mechanics are magical. They are as
magical as the human experience of spirituality. They are also as hard to
explain and take years of study to understand.
Or so they say.
We believe that everyone can and should taste these ideas, through a medium
or form that they can relate to: exhibits, graphic novels, pop-up talks, theater
and dance, online animations, through a theme they can relate to.
Examples of early ideas follow…

3. LIGHT & VISION
I SPY WITH MY MAGIC EYE
We see because visible light reflects or shoots
out from surfaces to hit the receptors in our eye.
These signals are interpreted by our brain to
form a vision. But the same light is not visible to
all creatures, so all creatures do not see the
same way.
Bees and butterflies see in UV
Dogs mostly see greys
Bulls see only black and white
We are designing an installation for visitors to
experience the world through the eyes of
different animals and insects – and understand
why and how.

4. LIGHT & NATURE
LIGHTNING LOVE
Do you know why lightning chooses to strike
particular spots on Earth? How does it know where to
go?
Lightning is a bunch of free electrons zooming about.
We know that electrons are negative. And they are
most attracted to extra positive spots. Lightning rods
are missing some electrons and thus used to attract
lightning. Humans are also missing some electrons too

We would like to portray this story through a dance
drama. We are looking for an interested director to
develop the plot.

5. LIGHT, LIFE, & CULTURE
SURYA NAMASKAR
Every wondered why yoga recommends we salute the sun in the
morning? What is it about sunlight that stimulates mental and
physical well being?
Learn the reasons behind the surya namaskar or sun salutation and
its effects through a practical workshop.
BARDO
The Tibetan Book of the Dead speaks of Bardo, the intermediate place
between life and death, and clear light experienced at the time of
death. Reports from near-death experiences speak of similar light.
Lay in a coffin fitted out with lights and sounds to experience a bardo-like
state. We focus on the therapeutic effects of light and sound.

6. LIGHT & TECHNOLOGY
DE(CODE)
Our friendly transistor radio got its name from radio
waves – light waves of the lowest frequency range in
the wide spectrum of light. Sound is produced by our
radios by decoding these radio waves and turning
them into the songs and chatter we so love.
Receiver, transmitter, light signal – learn the ingredients
of coding any message (the entire basis of the
telecommunication industry) through an interactive
installation.

7. LIGHT & ENERGY
ELUSIVE ENERGY (E is equal to MCwhat?)
Energy is easily defined in relation to other things such as action,
movement, material. But even the best scientists struggle to
describe the nature of pure energy.
Learn about the complex and simple relation between light, energy,
and matter through a curated selection of movies and talks running
through the festival

8. LIGHT & THE UNIVERSE
INFINITY
Astronomers study the universe by studying light. This light travels billions and
billions of years to reach our telescopes and eyes. This light would continue to
travel infinitely if it did not interact with any matter.
We invite artists to demonstrate the concept of infinity through any art medium.
These exhibits will be strategically located around public spaces in Goa.

9. MISSION
The Story of Light was born in a house in Goa, India, by a group of physicists
and artists who realized that they could work together to give everybody a
taste of the magic of our universe that sometimes gets lost in equations. We
hope to present a different view of nature and life: of waves and particles, of
everywhere and nowhere, of matter and energy, of interactions and forces,
through ways in which they can be easily grasped—art exhibits, movie
screenings, graphic novels, theatre, etc.

10. WHY STORIES
When it comes to science, some of us approach it through math and
equations and it makes perfect sense. But some of us don't relate to
equations. We relate through emotions and feelings. So we end up
rejecting science and not seeing its relevance to our lives. But science
explores life and we can understand this through stories. If someone
tells us the story of an equation, the poetry of math, the emotional
relevance of a hypothesis... then we see.
Tanushri Shukla writer-editor, digital strategy

11. WHY LIGHT
Light touches everything. It is the one all-pervasive ‗thing‘ in our observable
universe that all living beings interact with. Electricity works with light.
Photography captures light. Plants make food with light. Wireless signals travel
through light. The connections and relations are infinite.
The Story of Light explores six aspects of light:
Vision
Nature
what we see, how we see
and perceive, how animals
see, illusions, colour
rainbows, shadows,
lightning, sunsets,
bioluminescence, fireflies
Technology
Energy
radiowaves, microwaves,
quantum computing,
teleportation
light and matter, sun‘s
energy, nuclear energy,
plasma energy, human
energy
Life & Culture
sunlight and life, light and
healing, ancient light stories
Universe
first light, light and dark,
invisible light, stars

12. AND WHY A FESTIVAL
There are many creative ways to tell a story.
We talked for days and experimented with some of these ways. The conclusion was
clear. We need to start with a bang — a multifaceted approach — a festival with
an interactive exhibition, talks, screenings, and workshops.
Through the festival, we wish to reach all age groups with something for everybody.

13. OUR APPROACH
We approach light through art and design.
Physicists and scientists who understand the theoretical concepts will work with artists
who have the imagination to comprehend these abstract concepts and bring them
into the public space through metaphors. Can we give people a direct experience
of infinity or show them a wave collapse through an artist‘s interpretation?
We also plan to maintain a delicate balance of science and art, so that the science
is not overwhelming for the general public but also not necessarily ―dumbed down‖
or made entirely abstract.

14. CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK
Through the different installations and events, here are some of the scientific
concepts that we would like to highlight.
Light travels
infinitely until it
interacts with
matter
How it interacts
with matter is
magical
We slowly shift
our mental
image of a
particle as
something solid
to energy held
together by
complex
interactions
Particle, wave,
what‘s the
exact nature of
light and, for
that matter, the
electrons and
protons that
make us
The Unknown:
What is energy
really? What is
dark?

15. WHERE AND WHEN
The festival will run for two weeks in
December 2014-January 2015. The main
venue will be Nashville, a mesmerizing
property in Socorro, Goa. We target
500-1000 visitors including locals and
tourists (both foreign and Indian), old and
young, exposed and underexposed.
Smaller installations / events will run at
different locations in Goa.

16. MAKING IT HAPPEN
A core team will work with various collaborators through 2014 to shape the
festival. Initial dialogues between the science folk and the art folk are of
paramount importance for exchange of ideas. Our collaborators would include
Artists, designers,
installation &
performance artists
Scientists: physics,
astronomy, chemistry,
biology
Philosophers, Yogis,
Monks
Project managers,
coordinators, event
managers
Publicisers,
networkers, funders
Volunteers and
implementation
enthusiasts

17. STORY OF LIGHT CORE…SO FAR
Jaya Ramchandani
chief festival coordinator
Nash Paul
exhibition design chief / festival coordinator
…quit her job as a full-time science editor
four years ago to go explore the universe.
Her time at Leiden University (studying
astronomy for two years) in the Netherlands
changed the way she saw light. And changed
the way she saw life. She‘s been working with
astronomy outreach since and is compelled to
share with people what she has learnt.
Discussions with friends led to birth of ‗The
Story of Light‘ project.
...grew up with an outdated education system
and now wants to try to turn it around.
Through interactions and installations, he
wishes to educate audiences, to shock and
awe, to make them smile and whistle, to spark
their minds, to see the world from a different
angle.
http://www.linkedin.com/in/jayar
www.antiflutter.com

18. BUDGET
At this stage, we would appreciate advice on how to think about budgeting
and raising funds. The monies will be spent on:
Material
Costs/Equipment/
Supplies
Rent of spaces
Coordination and
travel costs
Legal procedures,
government
permissions
Artist and volunteer
accommodation
and travel
Publicity

19. ROADMAP
Closer to beginning
Brainstorming on design and
crafting the story
Closer to middle
Dialogues with collaborators
Artist-scientist incubation points
Raising some funds
Piloting some ideas in public
spaces
Arrangements for volunteers
Improving the story
Intensive design work
Spreading the word
Promotion
Raising more funds
Putting it all together
Closer to end

20. INVITING COLLABORATORS
We are inviting collaborators to be a part of all of this.
Collaboration as core members, artists, designers, installation & performance
artists, scientists (physics, astronomy, chemistry, biology), coordinators, event
managers, philosophers, yogis, monks, volunteers, implementation enthusiasts,
publicisers, networkers, funders
There is much to be done.
To start a dialogue, propose an idea, or simply talk, please write to
Jaya (scratchpost@gmail.com) or Nash (nash@antiflutter.com).