Borealis bringing joy.

Tonight is Hallowe'en, a festival I've long liked and celebrated. I went to see Borealis, an immersive art experience that created a simulation of the Northern Lights, the Aurora Borealis, over the upper courtyard of Dublin Castle. It was beautiful and quite peaceful, ambient music playing in the background as the blue, green and red lights formed, swirled and vanished in the air above us. It seemed to be effected using projections onto smoke that puffed out of tubes among the crowd, resulting in patterns that resembled the Aurora, which I've long wanted to see for real.

It added to the experience for me that it was Hallowe'en, many attendees both young and not so young were in costume, and all around us the bangs of fireworks could be heard but not seen. I felt part of a collective celebration. The promotion for the Bram Stoker Festival of which this was part said that Borealis seeks to bring people together in cities, making them experience the city differently and connect with their fellow citizens in a new way. It didn't seem to be doing that very much, quite a few people left quite early on, and I didn't feel very connected with the others watching, but it was a wonderful experience to have, and it was free and collective and different.

Video of Borealis, Dublin Castle, 31st October 2022.

I feel that there is a hunger for goodness, positivity, connectedness lately, after and during the pain so many people have been going through, with the pandemic, war, climate change, poverty, violence and so much else. And that art is meeting that need in a way that little else is recently. We have to keep struggling to provide the basics to everyone, to ensure water, food, shelter, healthcare, education, social connection, a livable environment for every person on the planet. But art can help us generate hope, think differently and feel better so that we can continue the struggle.

Photos and video of Borealis, Dublin, 31 October 2022.