//RESPONSIVE International Light Art Project was initiated by Ralf Seippel [Germany] and Juergen Probst [Canada/ Germany] in 2015. Together they paved the way for the international initiative that led to this first edition of //RESPONSIVE. Jürgen Probst is an entrepreneur and art lover based in Germany and Canada, Ralf Seippel is an art historian and gallerist based in Germany. They not only had the idea but also the means to spark an international exhibition project-based. They discussed with possible partners until they found the perfect one with outstanding motivation. For a proper start, the Probst family provided a substantial budget that showed the support for shared ambition. Backing innovative projects and taking responsibility for ideas is their shared passion and //RESPONSIVE is their largest undertaking across the Atlantic.
Since the beginning, Jürgen and his friend Dr. Ralf Seippel has spoken of this project as an ‘Art Bridge,’ a way to connect his hometown of Cologne, Germany with Halifax, the capital of his second home in Nova Scotia, Canada. Responsive was developed in the spirit of relationship building, gratitude, and cultural exchange between two countries. //RESPONSIVE is bold and contemporary, highlighting architecture and public space through the medium of light. The four-year project includes a lecture series and provides students and artists from both countries an opportunity to collaborate, share ideas, and learn from each other. It is especially exciting to open Responsive on Canada’s 150th anniversary and we hope that the people of Halifax enjoy this world-class art exhibit.
Ralf Seippel formed a curatorial collective with Melanie Colosimo [Director of Anna Leonowens Gallery at NSCAD University], Sarah Fillmore [Chief Curator of Art Gallery of Nova Scotia], and Peter Dykhuis [Director of Dalhousie Art Gallery at Dalhousie University] and Bettina Pelz [Curator with focus on light in fine arts] as its artistic director. In a mutual effort, they discussed concept, strategies, and organization of the innovative format. //RESPONSIVE is the first result of the fruitful cooperation and it is the first part of a series of four exhibition projects, two in Halifax [2017/2019] and two in Cologne, Germany [2018/2020].