10. Berlin Cathedral

From Architecture to a Colorful Artwork

Show Loop approx. 6 minutes

When night falls over Berlin, the imposing backdrop of the Berlin Cathedral (Berliner Dom) transforms into an open-air gallery. Ten national and international artists and creative studios – Chema Siscar, Lightspray Visual, Li Cheng, Daniel Bandke, Otto Schade, Albane Chaumet, Morgane Philippe, OKO, Susan Gurnee and Daniel Margraf – project their very own interpretations of “Colours of Love” onto the gigantic facade.

The cathedral’s magnificent architecture is far more than just a canvas: its curved forms, columns, and reliefs are directly integrated into the artworks. The result is a series of vibrant, colorful compositions that play with depth, light, and shadow—an absolute eye-catcher in the heart of the city that continuously reinvents the familiar backdrop of the cathedral.

Lightspray Visual | Hungary

This year, the artistic research of artist Lightspray Visual focuses on complementary colour pairs, which also play a central role in this work. The growing crises around the world remind us of the urgent need for change. The endangered rhinoceros symbolizes fragile and vanishing values, while the hidden chess piece raises a simple question: What will our next move be?

Li Cheng | China

A heart cannot move with a single part. Joy, sadness, hesitation, kindness — like gears of different sizes, each one is meaningless on its own, but together, meshing with one another, they finally become a “heart that moves.” Rather than a single, simple heart, the image of multiple parts interlocking and functioning together expresses the complexity and many layers of a person’s inner self.

Chema Siscar | Spain

“MATTER & CODE” reinterprets the Berliner Dom by placing its historic architecture in dialogue with light. Drawing on Baroque theatricality and trompe-l’œil, the artwork replaces rigid classical order with fluid, biomorphic energy. The permanence of historic sandstone collides with luminous, neural-like filaments, contrasting physical mass with ephemeral digital art. Isolated against a neutral void, the monument transcends its urban footprint to become a living light sculpture—no longer a static historical relic, but a dynamic, vibrating structure speaking the visual language of the 21st century.

Otto Schade | UK

“The Third Blue Eye” – Otto Schade (Osch) Created for Berlin’s Festival of Lights under the theme Colours of Love, The Third Blue Eye transforms the DOM into a vibrant face woven from multicolored ribbons. Acid smiley faces emerge from the strands, adding Schade’s signature mix of playfulness and critique. At the center, a glowing third eye releases a ribbon‑formed Earth rising toward the sky—symbolizing awareness, unity, and our shared responsibility for the planet.

Morgane Philippe | France

Like benevolent vegetation, love winds its way around the architecture, crossing and transforming it. Red flowers intertwine with narrow green branches, while pairs of inseparable birds nest amongst this luxurious vegetation. Thought of as a floating garden on the cathedral’s façade, the artwork invites a moment of tranquillity and contemplation. Every detail reveals a new encounter, a connection, a shared presence.

Albane Chaumet | France

Inspired by the theme “Colours of Love”, French artist Albane Chaumet covers the cathedral in an explosion of cut-paper hearts, transforming it into a very personnal interpretation of the Queen of Hearts.

Daniel Bandke | Germany

Daniel Bandke’s colorful motif combines Pop Art elements into a vibrant projection.

OKO | Croatia

Colors of Love is a celebration of individuality, difference and the strange, beautiful ways in which we coexist. Each character inhabits its own world, marked by a distinct color, personality and gesture. Together, they form a fictional community that feels somewhere between a fairy tale and a contemporary mythology. The work explores love not as a singular emotion or a fixed idea, but as a space capable of holding contradiction, difference and individuality. The characters do not need to resemble one another to belong to the same world. Their differences are precisely what gives that world its richness, tension and magic. Colors of Love is a portrait of a world in which everyone gets to be different – and still belong.

Daniel Margraf | Germany

Daniel Margraf wraps the cathedral in a playful collage of colorful faces, graphic patterns, and animal illustrations.

Daniel Bandke | Germany

“Language of Love” returns as a dazzling highlight for Berlin’s 2026 Festival of Lights. First developed in 2019 by Daniel Bandke (Studio Eigengrau) and Birgit Zander, the emotional light installation gained international acclaim in California’s Napa Valley. This year, the project returns to its roots as an exclusive, modernized sequence. Perfectly aligning with the festival’s theme, “Colours of Love,” the word “love” will be projected in various languages onto three of Berlin’s most iconic landmarks: the Brandenburg Gate, the Oberbaum Bridge, and the Berlin Cathedral. This contemporary reinterpretation beautifully bridges visual artistry and meaningful content, illuminating the city in the vibrant colors of love.

Daniel Margraf | Germany

With this colourful motif, Daniel Margraf transforms the facade into a vibrant, densely woven pattern of blossoms and butterflies.

Susan Gurnee | USA

Intricate patterns and artistic ornaments by artist Susan Gurnee wrap the historic facade and domes in a magical display of light.

PLEASE NOTE

You are welcome to photograph this installation for personal use. However, we would like to inform you that commercial use of photos and videos of the installation without our permission is strictly prohibited. Thank you for your understanding.