A man in a grey suit carries a street lamp on his shoulder and holds a solar battery in his hand, charged by daylight. At the moment of sunset, he connects the lantern and the energy source – the lamp starts to light up and the man sets off. As soon as the load becomes too heavy, he stops, straightens the lantern and pauses for a moment.

During the evenings of “Lichtstadt Feldkirch“ 2025, the man with the lantern roams the festival site and the surrounding streets, squares, bridges and green spaces. He moves silently through visible and hidden spaces, immersing himself in the semi-darkness and bringing light into the night. Without words, a silent dialogue is created between him, the city, the light installations and the surrounding darkness.

The light of his lantern reveals the familiar in new splendour, illuminates the overlooked and at the same time casts shadows on other areas. His nocturnal walk becomes a poetic exploration of a constantly changing urban landscape. Visitors who follow him experience familiar places with renewed attention; chance encounters with the silent wanderer create moments of wonder and enchantment.

The performance is part of Jan Philip Scheibe’s ongoing project “Shouldered Streetlight”, which has been realised in various European locations – from Iceland to Spain, from Scandinavia to the North Sea coast – since 2009. Wherever the man with the lantern appears, temporary artistic spaces are created: fleeting, silent images that reflect the interplay between people, light and landscape.

www.jan-philip-scheibe.de