Lighting designer Jukka Laukkanen designed this beautiful illumination and a light art show to Hiukka beach in Sotkamo in 2021. Sun Effects collaborated with Laukkanen to find the best solutions in terms of the equipment and was responsible for the technical design of the project and programming the content. Electrical engineering by Pöyry.

The starting point of the projects was a question: What would make the town of Sotkamo more appealing to the citizens and more attractive to the tourists too? This led Laukkanen and the city of Sotkamo to the idea of illumination of Hiukka beach.

Light art is a great medium for creating wow-factors and transforming mundane surroundings into imagination provoking adventures so Laukkanen proposed creating a light art piece somewhere. Hiukka beach was chosen as a location as there was an area development project going on there at the time.

The piece illuminates the beach  seven months a year from the beginning of September to the end of March. The basic themes of the piece draw inspiration from the nature and the changing seasons: ruska (fall colors), winter and northern lights.

There are also seasonal themes like Independence Day, Christmas and Valentine’s Day. Even the local sports team received appreciation through content designed for them. In March 2022 the beach was lit with the colors of Ukraine flag. In addition, the locals and visitors get to experience a light art show every Saturday night.