The Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. is glowing as part of Nordic Cool 2013, an international festival exploring art, design, literature, film, music, and cuisine of the Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Greenland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden). In celebration of the program, the Center is evoking the aurora borealis (northern lights) through an exterior lighting installation by Danish designer Jesper Kongshaug. Blue and green lights are washing the Center's white marble walls--a luminous display that will be on view for the duration of the festival.

                                  
                                                              Photo by Yassine El Mansouri

Other program highlights include “Nordic Design Illustrated,” an exhibition showcasing the works of 30 Nordic designers and the cultural relationship with nature, heritage, and technology; the “New Nordic—Architecture and Identity” exhibition, featuring five houses--each by an architect from a different Nordic country--and several dioramas that depict Nordic lifestyles; and a bevy of theater, music, and dance performances, demonstrations and cuisine tastings, and literary readings and discussions.

                                   
                                                                 Photo by Margot Schulman
  
Nordic Cool 2013 runs through March 17 and is produced by the Kennedy Center and the Nordic Council of Ministers.

For more information, visit kennedy-center.org.