Plovdiv’s city lights pulsate every time a baby is born

The lamps in the Kapana District will flicker when hospital staff and fathers press a special button

On 18 January, the Bulgarian Municipality of Plovdiv shared that it is restoring and expanding its “Born Today” installation, celebrating the birth of every newborn baby in the city. As part of this project, the lights in Plovdiv’s Kapana District will flicker and pulsate every time a baby is delivered in 4 of the city’s maternity wards.

To notify residents and visitors that there is a new life, the fathers of the newborn babies and the medical staff at the hospitals will press a special button, prompting the district's lights to pulsate. Near the flickering lights, one can find a stone plaque explaining the purpose of the Born Today installation, which is to evoke feelings of faith and hope for the future of the Bulgarian city.

A button prompts the lights to pulsate (Source: Plovdiv Municipality on Facebook)

Expanding the project

As the installation was a success when it was first implemented in 2018, the municipality now wants to expand its scope. More specifically, it wants the project to go beyond the Kapana District and bring joy to people in other areas. Some of the locations it has proposed include the area around the Roman Stadium, Sahat Tepe Tower and Youth Hill. 

It is important to reiterate that the installation first brought joy to Plovdiv's residents in 2018 when the Italian artist Alberto Garuti presented it alongside curators Katya Angelova and Alessandra Pozhanti. Funded by “Plovdiv – European Capital of Culture 2019”, the project was implemented for the 24th Week of Contemporary Art of the Art Today Foundation. 

Expanding on the artist and his work, the municipality revealed that Garuti’s installation has delighted people all over the globe since 1998, as he first realised the Born Today project in Bergamo 24 years ago. Since then, Garuti has instilled hope in Japan, Russia, Turkey, Italy, Belgium and Bulgaria.