For many Berliners, it has already been a beloved holiday tradition. As the days grow shorter and winter arrives in the city, the season of WINTERLIGHTS begins at DARK MATTER. Once again this year, Berlin light and media artist Christopher Bauder reimagines the monumental TRANSFORMATOR art hall as a sparkling winter landscape of light, motion, sound, and ice.
WINTERLIGHTS '26
04 NOVEMBER 2026 - 14 FEBRUARY 2027
WINTERLIGHTS
TRANSFORMATOR Art Hall
A floating forest of more than 600 fir trees and 300,000 points of light unfolds across 1,000 square meters. A familiar holiday symbol is transformed into a surreal landscape suspended between memory and the future, winter stillness and radiant imagination.
At the center of WINTERLIGHTS is an even more spacious ice rink, now fully integrated into the light installation. Thousands of lights embedded in the ice turn the surface into a dynamic canvas. Colors, patterns and animations drift beneath the skates, spread across the ice and merge with the spatial light choreography. With every movement, visitors become part of the artwork, gliding directly through the light.
The upside-down winter forest also receives an update this year, with festive garlands of lights adding a new dimension to the installation. A newly composed dramaturgy of light, movement, and sound unfolds in repeating cycles of 45 minutes. Once again, Dutch musician Chris Kuijten masterfully accompanies the installation with his soundscape. Atmospheric layers, subtle musical details and powerful passages intertwine with the kinetic choreography to form a shared narrative. Some moments feel quiet and almost otherworldly. Others are intense, captivating, and charged with energy.
To allow even more guests to participate in this experience, we are extending our opening hours. During the winter season, WINTERLIGHTS and the permanent exhibition KOLLEKTION are open Tuesday through Sunday. Ice skates are available to rent on site. Mulled wine, non-alcoholic punch, and seasonal specialties offer guests the chance to unwind and enjoy the festive atmosphere.
We warmly invite you to experience winter as a space for light and darkness, movement and stillness, memory and wonder. WINTERLIGHTS is a holiday ritual that takes on a new form each year, merging light art, a winter forest and ice rink into one enchanting world.
Production: WHITEvoid & DARK MATTER
Photos: WHITEvoid
Video: WHITEvoid
CHRISTOPHER BAUDER
Christopher Bauder is a German light and media artist. He creates large-scale art installations and performances that explore the effects of light and sound on human perception and emotionality. In doing so, he consciously leaves the traditional museum framework and uses industrial and historical spaces as authentic stages for his light experiments. His works combine sculpture, space and interaction to create multi-sensory art experiences.
As one of the pioneers, he has been shaping the art genres of "Experience Art" and "Kinetic Light Art" for more than 20 years. International solo exhibitions and projects such as the installation "Lichtgrenze" (Light Limit) on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, which inspired millions of visitors, testify to his innovative approach.
Photo: Olivier Rimbon Foeller
CHRIS KUIJTEN
Chris Kuijten, a Dutch composer and producer, delves passionately into the realms of contemporary and electronic music. His musical odyssey commenced with a lot of experience on an array of instruments including piano, flute, saxophone, and clarinet, establishing a sturdy foundation for his artistic expedition. Yet, it was his intrigue with electronic equipment that ignited the flames of his creativity and propelled him into a journey of sonic discovery. The boundless potential presented by samplers, computers, and other electronic tools became his canvas, driving him to perpetually explore novel avenues in music composition.
