A new international art and technology festival brings together a wide range of artistic experiences across to European Capital of Culture Oulu, from light and sound art to diverse forms of digital art 13-22 November.
Lumo Art & Tech Festival offers a diverse programme for both the public and professionals, exploring the intersections of art and technology. Henri Turunen, Programme Manager at Oulu2026, highlights five reasons why the festival is worth experiencing.
1. An impressive and diverse arts programme
Over ten days 13-22 November, the festival offers a wide range of experiences, including audiovisual performances, light and sound art, and exhibitions. Here are just a few highlights from the extensive programme.
Björk brings an exhibition to Oulu that combines sound, moving images, music, visual art and technology. The exhibition features three audiovisual installations. Ancestress and Sorrowful Soil, composed and arranged by Björk, were created as tributes to her mother. The third work, Björk Orkestral, can be experienced in an immersive listening room created by Genelec.
Artist Josefina Nelimarkka’s immersive exhibition Arctic Clouds explores the atmosphere through mist, glass, water, ice and real-time climate data. The gallery at Cultural Centre Valve is transformed into a multisensory environment where light, sound and data visualise weather systems and planetary change. Combining art, science and ecology, the work offers fresh perspectives on the atmosphere and its significance in our lives.
The new subarctic sound festival TAR offers new ways to listen to and experience sound across six venues in Oulu from 11 to 15 November.
Canadian artists Pierre-Luc Lecours and Ida Toninato combine acoustic and electronic music in their performance Homeostasis. Baritone saxophone, modular synthesiser, real-time video and lighting come together to create an ever-changing audiovisual experience. They will perform at Tarkastamo on Thursday 19 November.
Italian artist, physicist and professor Riccardo Giovinetto brings his award-winning work FEMINA to the festival. The audiovisual performance combines sound, imagery and technology in a constantly evolving experience. The performance takes place at Tarkastamo on Wednesday 18 November.
Author Rosa Liksom is one of the speakers in the Kaitera Talks 2026 series. Photo: Pekka Mustonen
2. Inspiring Talks and panels
How can creativity, culture and research save humanity and our relationship with our home planet?
The Kaitera Talks 2026 series, taking place from 17 to 19 November, brings together distinguished speakers to explore this question from different perspectives, shedding light on topical issues in science and research at the intersection of culture and technology.
Speakers include Professor of Wireless Communications Matti Latva-aho, geneticist Aarno Palotie, author Rosa Liksom and Professor of Aquatic Ecology Timo Muotka. The talks will take place in the assembly hall of Oulun Lyseo Upper Secondary School.
What opportunities does technology offer for creativity, and how can creativity be used to develop and explore technology?
The Brown Bag seminar, held at Saari Central Library on 17 November, explores what happens when technology and creativity meet.
Speakers at this free, public seminar include Associate Professor Ella Peltonen from the Software Engineering Research Unit at the University of Oulu, Fab Lab Director Jani Ylioja and Professor Marianne Kinnula from the Research Unit of Information Systems and Human-Computer Interaction.
For the first time, Lumo Light Festival will take place over four days. Oculucis – Hermes Mangialardo (ITA) Photo: Linnea Laatikainen
3. More light art than ever before
The hugely popular Lumo Light Festival will take place over four days for the first time, from 19 to 22 November. This year’s theme is Tuolla puolen – The Other Side. A five-kilometre art trail will feature 23 works by artists from 13 countries.
The Finnish Light Art Society FLASH brings an impressive selection of Finnish light art to Oulu from 7 to 22 November.
The society’s fifth light art biennial, Kätketty kajo, showcases the diversity of contemporary Finnish light art, featuring both established artists and emerging talents.
Aalto Siilo, Gallery MABD, Pikisaari and the façade of Saari Central Library will be transformed into immersive exhibition environments where light becomes a material, a theme and a medium for artistic experiences.
Italian artist, physicist and professor Riccardo Giovinetto brings his award-winning work FEMINA to the festival. Photo: Riccardo Giovinetto
4. Professional programme and events for everyone
The festival’s professional programme extends its artistic themes into discussions about society and technology through seminars, talks and networking events.
The new venue Tarkastamo will host a series of seminars from 17 to 20 November, covering topics such as sustainability, the future of wireless technology, light art and the Art of Work theme, which explores the impact of art and technology on working life today.
The annual AVARA event, organised by Oulu University of Applied Sciences, brings together leading figures from art, culture and technology at Hotel Lasaretti from 18 to 20 November.
The event features inspiring keynote speeches, discussions, workshops and demonstrations highlighting the role of technology in the future of creative work.
This year’s theme, Art & Tech <3 Space, invites participants to consider how space, technology and creative work shape one another, both now and in the future.
5. Strong collaboration
The festival is the result of collaboration between artists, universities, cultural organisations and technology companies. The festival’s official partners are Nokia, Oulu University of Applied Sciences, Oulun Pysäköinti, Avidly, Genelec and LähiTapiola.
The University of Oulu, Oulu Art Museum and Museum and Science Centre Tiima are also involved in producing the programme.
