The visual diversity of the film unfolds from the topics of the following KIT Centers that funded it: Energy, Climate and Environment, Information | Systems | Technologies, Elementary Particle and Astroparticle Physics, Health Technologies, Materials in Technical and Life Sciences, Mobility Systems, and Humans and Technology. With the "Science for Impact" film, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) contributes to the 2025 Schlosslichtspiele Light Festival held from August 14 to September 14. The short feature film turns the baroque palace facade into a jungle, a futuristic city, and a vibrant surface, showcasing the broad range of research conducted at KIT. During the Light Festival, which has been established in 2015, Karlsruhe's palace becomes a giant screen for digital light art. Honoring KIT's 200th anniversary, the 2025 event has been themed "The Shining Lights of Science." KIT will host a kick-off event for invited guests on August 14, 2025, giving the go-ahead for the Schlosslichtspiele Light Festival.
"For 200 years, KIT and its predecessor institutions have been a hallmark of the city of Karlsruhe. To mark our anniversary, science has been brought to the foreground of the Schlosslichtspiele Light Festival now," says Professor Thomas Hirth, Vice President Transfer and International Affairs, who is responsible for the jubilee year events. "This is an extraordinary opportunity for us to share the research conducted at KIT to the citizens from a completely different perspective."
Art Meets Research
The ten-minute feature entitled "Science for Impact" was designed by "Los Romeras," a Spanish group of artists who have previously presented their art at the Schlosslichtspiele Light Festival. "The film shows in an artistic manner how varied science is at KIT. It is meant to arouse curiosity for the research done here," explains Dr. Kirsten Hennrich, Managing Director of the KIT Climate and Environment Center and coordinator of the film feature. She adds that the projection also plays with the palace facade in a particular way: "Our aim was to use its width of 170 meters and its height of 17 meters not only as a canvas, but really embed it into the film. For example, windows become waterfalls, and behind the main entrance, solar fire ignites," says Hennrich.
Die visuelle Vielfalt des Films ergibt sich aus den Themen folgender KIT-Zentren, die ihn finanziert haben: Energie, Klima und Umwelt, Informationen · Systeme · Technologien, Elementarteilchen- und Astroteilchenphysik, Gesundheitstechnologien, Materialien in Technik und Lebenswissenschaften, Mobilitätssysteme sowie Mensch und Technik.
A Stage for Science
The theme of the 2025 Schlosslichtspiele Light Festival is "The Shining Lights of Science;" it was selected by the City of Karlsruhe and the Karlsruhe Marketing und Event GmbH. In honor of KIT's anniversary, artists have taken a look at the achievements and research areas the institution can boast. Through the sensual and technically sophisticated imagery of projection mapping, they depict how scientific solutions and insights are continuously seeping into the physical and digital worlds.
The kick-off event of the Schlosslichtspiele Light Festival will take place on August 14, 2025 at KIT, starting at 18:00. The invited guests will be treated to speeches by their host, Professor Thomas Hirth, Karlsruhe's mayor Albert Käuflein, Alistair Hudson, artistic and scientific director of the ZKM | Center for Art and Media Karlsruhe, and a panel discussion with artists.
More information on the 2025 Schlosslichtspiele Light Festival
More information on the KIT Centers
Being "The Research University in the Helmholtz Association", KIT creates and imparts knowledge for the society and the environment. It is the objective to make significant contributions to the global challenges in the fields of energy, mobility, and information. For this, about 10,000 employees cooperate in a broad range of disciplines in natural sciences, engineering sciences, economics, and the humanities and social sciences. KIT prepares its 22,800 students for responsible tasks in society, industry, and science by offering research-based study programs. Innovation efforts at KIT build a bridge between important scientific findings and their application for the benefit of society, economic prosperity, and the preservation of our natural basis of life. KIT is one of the German universities of excellence.
