Rebecca Phillips, senior producer of the agency, was invited to speak at the LUCI Creative Lighting Forum, held in association with Fête des Lumières as part of the Lyon Light Festival.
Hosted in Birmingham’s twinned city Lyon, her talk highlighted work created by OPUS for Sandwell Metropolitan Council’s Play By Night, and from their role as Producers for Birmingham Light Festival (BLF).
Rebecca was invited to speak as part of the Forum’s international platform, a space for exchange and collaboration between international festival programmers, artists, local authorities and creative producers shaping the future of light festivals.
Her talk distilled OPUS’s creative approach to programming bringing together play, culture and movement through a creative programming approach OPUS have developed called “Active Programming.”
The talk focused on some specific learnings OPUS’ light activation, Floor is Lava x Silent Disco.
The activation creatively gamified the silent disco experience in a playful and nostalgic way, inviting audiences to step into a shared game - combining light and movement to turn public space into a place of play.
The project was experienced by over 5,000 people last year, funded by United By 2022 the Commonwealth Games Legacy Charity and demonstrating the company's ethos of large scale participation moments in public space.
It builds on OPUS’ track record of presenting large-scale participatory games in Birmingham, developed in the wake of the Games and the city’s growing appetite for playful public culture
Alongside the presentation, LUCI’s Creative Lighting Forum provided a valuable opportunity for OPUS and BLF to build relationships and share ideas with global peers strengthening Birmingham’s presence within the international light festival landscape and opening doors to future collaboration.
Rebecca Phillips, senior producer at OPUS and creative director of Birmingham Light Festival, said: “I’m proud to have represented Birmingham in Lyon, putting Birmingham Light Festival on LUCI’s international platform.
“It was brilliant to connect with so many other programmers, artists and city partners around the world. It’s been a great moment to share more about our approach to cultural placemaking through light - Floor is Lava is a joyful example of what happens when play is treated as a serious tool for connection.
“If you’re not already, connect with Birmingham Light Festival on Instagram and keep your eyes peeled. We’ll be sharing more programme announcements with some playful additions in January 2026.”
