Niko Tiainen: Iridescence

Niko Tiainen: Iridescence
Interactive generative projection in public space

Creative and technical team: Vita Osojnik (choreography) & Build Up; Borut Cajnko (technical coordination); Miha Zupan, Anže Kreč (technical implementation); Matjaž Brulc (copywriter); Katerina Mirović, Nika Erjavec (curating); Katja Somrak – dance performance producer

Reflecting on diversity – the theme of the 2026 Lighting Guerilla festival – the façade of Cankarjev dom will feature an immersive AV installation by Finnish artist Niko Tiainen titled Iridescence, accompanied by a one-off dance performance by choreographer Vita Osojnik.

The Iridescence project is an interactive site-specific video installation that explores the relationship between environment, perception, and the digital transformation of space. Using photographic material (satellite imagery, local archives, the artist’s photographs, etc.), the installation generates ever-shifting visual compositions in real time, whose rhythm and dynamics are determined by software algorithms. The visuals are complemented by a multichannel sound environment created from field recordings and digitally processed sounds that respond to visitors’ movements as well as other environmental data.

The project is named after a natural phenomenon – the visual property of shining with rainbow-like colours, in which the appearance of an object changes depending on the angle of observation. The work is therefore subject to constant transformation, resulting from the live interaction between data, environment, and audience. For Iridescence, Niko Tiainen received the “Best in Show” Award at the Digital Graffiti Festival in Alys Beach, USA, in 2025. The installation creates an immersive landscape in a state of continuous fluctuation and change.

With this project – conceptually and financially complete and closely aligned with the festival’s theme – we are hosting a renowned international artist. Enriched by a local reinterpretation through Osojnik’s performance, the project connects diverse creative fields in a fresh and innovative way, contributing to the development of new hybrid artistic practices.

Artist:
NIKO TIAINEN is a Finnish multidisciplinary artist primarily working in interactive open-space mapped projections, as well as video, light and sound installations. In addition to being a classically trained musician and composer, he studied graphic design and earned an MA in the New Media Design and Production at the Aalto University in Finland. In his installations, he frequently combines conceptual ideas and abstract digital materials with structures and techniques of classical music. His artworks have been featured at numerous exhibitions and art festivals around the world, including Ars Electronica (Linz, 2020), Lightbox New York (NYC, 2020), Neo Shibuya (Tokyo, 2021) and Theatre of Digital Art (Dubai, 2022).