Interview with Lena Weisner, Co-Curator of EVI LICHTUNGEN, and Detlef Hartung from HAWK Hildesheim and HBKsaar Saarbrücken while preparing for EVI LICHTUNGEN in Hildesheim 22–25 JAN 2026.
INTERVIEW BY Bettina Pelz
PUBLISHED 9 JAN 2026
Let me introduce my interview partners Lena Weisner and Detlef Hartung. Both cared for students’ projects since 2022: Lena Weisner has been co-curating the EVI LICHTUNGEN with Klaus Wilhelm since 2022; Detlef Hartung has been heading students’ workshops at the University of Applied Arts and Sciences (HAWK) Hildesheim to develop projects for the EVI LICHTUNGEN since 2022.
Both engage with students’ projects for different reasons. Lena studied in Hildesheim und has been part of the team from the beginning1During her studies, she presented her student project at the LICHTUNGEN 2015. She continued her studies in Berlin at the University of Technology (BHT) with a master’s degree in event technology and management. “In my work, whether in theater, architecture, or art, I am wholly dedicated to the medium of light. Being a light artist myself, I bring this experience and what I gained from my studies to my role as co-curator of EVI LICHTUNGEN light art biennial,” she opened the conversation about the students’ projects of the EVI LICHTUNGEN. “I started out as a student being part of the EVI LICHTUNGEN programme myself, so the cooperation with students is very important to me. Knowing how this has changed my life, I am very aware of the effect it can have. In my opinion, we can create opportunities for students interested in art and artistic work, and for young emerging artists to be part of EVI Lichtungen and have a full experience from a concept and idea to an exhibition. The challenges are greater than in other projects or with other artworks; the outcome is completely unknown, and we trust those who closely accompany the students throughout the process. The implementation of the concept and the production process itself are also challenging for most students, since it’s often their first time going through such a process. Here, too, trust, patience, and a common goal are essential to accept and overcome the challenges on the way to the exhibition together.”; Detlef is currently deputy professor at the University of Fine Arts (HBKsaar) in Saarbrücken, and created an opportunity for his students2As part of the artists’ duo Hartung Trenz, Detlef contributed to the EVI LICHTUNGEN festival in 2015 and 2020. I asked him how he perceives the festival’s development: “I have known the festival since the first edition. And even if the curators changed, the quality of the presented artworks remained high. I guess one reason for this success is the careful selection of sites that fit the selected artworks. This, and the good production of the works, is responsible for the success, even if the budget is not so high.” Since the festival of light was founded in 2015, EVI LICHTUNGEN has also been a platform for students. “A light art festival is one of the best possibilities for students to see a lot of good works and so see and experience different ways of working with light on a high level. They also have the opportunity to see their work in this range and to learn more about light art,” he said when talking about the upcoming students’ projects in Hildesheim: “They often have to work with unusual techniques and develop site-specific works. There are many steps required to get a presentable result. This long-term workflow is a great experience, especially when you see the result for the first time on the building itself.” For the 2026 edition, Detlef worked with students from the Lighting Design program at the University of Applied Sciences and Arts (HAWK) and the Saarbrücken University of Fine Arts (HBKsaar), where he currently holds the duty professorship Light and Intermedia..
// This year, the HAWK and the HBKsaar students will present projection works developed for Pani-projectors. Why did you decide to make them work with analog Pani-projectors?
It was Lena’s initiative to work with Pani-projectors: “We’ve long been wanting to work with Pani-projectors. I believe it is our responsibility to showcase the latest technologies related to light as a material, but also to ensure that older techniques are not lost and forgotten,” she said.
Pani-projectors are analogue slide projectors, developed in the 1930s for stage sets, used from the 1970s for early facade projections, and still a tool with unique properties for 21st-century artists. Contemporary users still employ them for analog projection mapping, architectural projections, and heritage illumination when extremely bright, stable still images or hand‑painted slides are desired instead of digital projectors.
The name comes from the Austrian company founded by Ludwig Pani, which pioneered these large‑scale scenic projectors from the mid‑20th century onward. It is a large-format slide projector that uses glass slides measuring approximately 18 × 18 cm, and a powerful lamp up to 12,000 W, producing tens of thousands of lumens suitable for illuminating entire buildings or large scenic surfaces. Pani-projectors typically use HMI or other high‑intensity discharge lamps, substantial cooling, and a condenser‑lens system that sends a parallel, very bright beam through the glass slide, allowing extremely sharp, high‑contrast images at large distances. Accessories include interchangeable lenses, mechanical effects wheels, shutters, and cropping blades.
Pani-projectors gained prominence around 1955, coinciding with breakthroughs at Vienna’s State Opera and Burgtheater, integrating painted or photographic slides directly into the scenography. Their importance lies in a combination of optical power, precision, and versatility that earlier projectors lacked. Pani devices deliver exceedingly bright, high-contrast images over long distances. They offered precise focus and adjustable lenses, allowing artists to scale images while maintaining sharpness and clarity, even on complex or textured surfaces.
Stage designers Günther Schneider-Siemssen and Josef Svoboda collaborated closely with engineer Ludwig Pani to refine these large-format slide projectors, integrating them as core elements of scenography for operas and theater productions. From the 1970s to the 1990s, with teams like HOLD UP3HOLD UP, the studio of the artists’ tandem, Catherine and Max, was active in France and internationally in the 1970s, working with analog projection in public space. They have worked on monumental projections on the facades of the Pantheon and the Hôtel de Ville in Paris, on Niemeyer’s Volcano in Le Havre, and on the Galeries Lafayette and Printemps, as well as on mountains for the AVORIAZ Festival, using analog projectors installed on trucks and boats. RESOURCE: Video Mapping Resources, Martina Stella: Hold Up. No Date Given. URL https://www.videomappingressources.com/EN/actu-94/hold-up 3 JAN 2026 in France, Starsky4 In 1990, Starsky (Julia Zdarsky) participated in the Ars Electronica Festival for the first time, where she worked with large-screen projections and live visuals, and frequently used Pani projectors in her early career. in Austria, and CASA MAGICA5 CASA MAGICA, the studio of Friedrich Förster and Sabine Weissinger, began working with laser systems in the 1990s and integrated large-format images, mainly generated with Pani projectors. Among their most notable projects was “Unveiling the Reichstag” in Berlin in 1995, the projection of a view of the Reichstag building onto the wrapped facade of the Reichstag during Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s art project “Wrapped Reichstag.” RESOURCE: Casa Magica: Projects. No date specified. URL https://www.casamagica.de/Projects/engl/ 3 JAN 2026 in Germany, large-scale analog projections became popular.
// Why should students work with this historic technology?
“They deliver a really special analog image on a huge scale without any pixelation. So you can even draw, paint, or use other image-generating technologies that are not related to digital sources. I think it’s interesting for students to explore the basics of projection,” Detlef explained. “In 2024, the theme was analog projection with slide projectors, overhead projectors, and gobo projectors. In 2026, the workshop focused on working with a Pani-projector, an analog slide projector to project on the facade of St. Godehardt Church.”
Pani-projectors provide a direct, hands-on connection to the roots of contemporary projection art and foster an understanding of both the technical and creative challenges early practitioners faced. Using these devices teaches lessons in optical physics, mechanical engineering, and spatial scaling that are often abstracted away in modern digital projection software.
Students can gain insight into how light, lens quality, and projector positioning affect image clarity and scale, which cultivates a more intuitive sense of image projection in real space. Working with historic equipment also encourages problem-solving and adaptability, as older machines often require manual calibration and inventive solutions to operate effectively outdoors or on complex surfaces. Beyond the technical dimension, it fosters historical awareness and appreciation by showing how pioneers and early cinema innovators shaped the evolution of public visual culture.
// How did you choose the site?
“We had several sites proposed by the curating team, but from my experience, St. Godehardt is the best as it has a good proportion that you can handle with one projector. It’s a good place for the audience, and environmental light control is possible. I hope that everything turns out according to plan, and it will be a good show with 10 different works on one site,” Detlef recalled. The students will project onto the St. Godehard church, seen from the Godehardtplatz. On display will be ten projects developed by solo artists or small teams.
Architecturally and historically, St. Godehard is a Romanesque basilica and former Benedictine monastery church, notable as one of the best-preserved Romanesque sacred buildings in northern Germany. Construction began in the early 12th century, and it was completed and consecrated in 1172. The church was dedicated to Saint Godehard (960–1038), a former Bishop of Hildesheim known for his reform efforts, who was canonized in 1133. The monastery’s foundation was laid around 1130, and the first monks moved in by 1136. Over the centuries, St. Godehard remained largely unchanged. It survived the secularization of 1803, was briefly repurposed for secular use, and returned to the Catholic community between 1812 and 1815. Unlike the nearby Hildesheim Cathedral, the basilica escaped significant damage during World War II. Today, the former monastery buildings are partly used by the University of Applied Sciences for Administration and Law.
// What will we get to see?
Lena answers: “The theme “Resonance – Light Art Human Space in Connection” sums up some of our core values and expresses what we feel is important to remember these days,” Lena said. “That we are all connected in a way and affect each other. There also lies a beautiful power in this idea. That we can connect and come closer together when people resonate with each other, with a space, with an artwork – that’s what we are hoping for. There will be ten projects on-site, alternating on the facade. Students worked solo or in small teams to respond to the festival’s theme “Resonance”, to the technology, and to the site. All students will be on-site and gladly explain their projects.
LINKS
evilichtungen.de
hawk.de
atelier-hausig.hbksaar.de
hartung-trenz.de
FEATURED IMAGE
Tom Groll, Bettina Pelz. GLOW Eindhoven 2006. Photo: Claus Langer.