Most Captivating Solar Light Show?

The coastal city of Zadar, Croatia, has become famous worldwide for a vast public art installation that harnesses the power of both the sun and the waves of the Adriatic Sea.

Most of Zadar’s seafront was destroyed during WWII, and the city hastily repaired it after the war by installing a monotonous concrete wall. As part of a 2005 renovation project, famed Croatian architect Nikola Bašić drew inspiration from his love of both music and architecture to create an innovative pair of installations called the Sun Salutation and the Sea Organ, which connect the open sea with the city’s public beach.

The Sun Salutation and Sea Organ have become two of the most popular attractions in Zadar. Together, they are an incredible fusion of the power of art with the power of nature to create unforgettable sights and sounds.

The Sun Salutation is a vast public pavilion paved with a 22-meter-wide circle of 300 solar panels. In an exceptional example of an efficient and renewable energy source, these millions of photovoltaic cells store enough energy to power Zadar’s entire waterfront lighting system.

After collecting the sun’s energy all day, the panels light up the night in an array of colorful flashing sequences, like a giant kaleidoscope. The light patterns and colors change every few seconds, making it one of the greatest light shows in the world.

The motion of the lights is based on how much solar energy the panels gather throughout the day, and also symbolizes the dance of the eight planets of our solar system by using proportionally sized lights placed at their relative distances from the sun.

Art, Music and Nature
Located only a stone’s throw away from the Sun Salutation, the Sea Organ is a complementary installation on Zadar’s Riva Promenade. Described as an “experimental nature-based instrument,” the Sea Organ features 35 pipes of varying lengths and sizes built into marble steps along the shorefront.

The pipes have built-in whistles, so as the motion of the waves forces air through them, the whistles transform the constant ebb and flow of the waves into a calming, continuously changing series of tones, similar to a whale song. The pipes are built into seven steps, each one with a different tubing and chord, so as visitors walk along the seafront, they will hear different resonances and harmonies, relative to their position.

Just how pioneering an idea is the Sea Organ? Shortly after its unveiling, the Sea Organ won the European Prize for Urban Public Space among 207 nominated projects from 31 different countries.

The Sun Salutation and Sea Organ, combined with the natural attractiveness of the beach, have made Zadar’s oceanfront a popular gathering spot for locals and tourists alike. Since Zadar is famous for its breathtakingly beautiful sunsets, the Sun Salutation and Sea Organ are especially crowded in the evening, when people gather to sit on the steps and listen to the music while enjoying gorgeous sea views and the spectacular sight of the illuminated pavement.