Ben has been projecting stuff on Russian diplomatic facilities, and has met some professional projection artists!

Julia Shamsheieva started a career in corporate advertising in a very different Ukraine. Her dynamic imagination soon drove to much more experimental forms of design, exploring different technologies before finally discovering her extraordinary talent for light projection. She has presented her work at festivals worldwide and earned several top accolades including the 2017 UKRAINIAN ART-MOTION AWARD for projection mapping and the 3rd prize for mapping at the CONSTELLATIONS DE METZ in France. Her critically acclaimed animations are often called highly memorable for their vibrant, playful and dreamlike imagery as well as narratives infused with an unrelenting sense of joy and positivity toward the human experience. Despite the dangers she now has to endure, Shamsheieva believes in the importance and capacity of her work to spread hope and unity to an international community that’s been grappling with years of immense challenge.

Joshua Bernard is the Co-Founder and Operations Director of LUMA, the United States’ premier projection arts festival, which this year is featuring Shamsheieva’s work. Throughout his varied career, he’s worked as a major events planner, community revitalization advocate, videographer, software developer & radio personality. His winding career path began with a youth in Northern New Jersey, where he fell in love with the wildly diverse arts scene of NYC. After graduating from Brandeis University with a degree in American Studies & Theatre, he pursued a passion for radio at stations in Boston & NYC. But it was while hosting a morning show in Binghamton, NY he discovered his love of small towns. Joshua’s passionate advocacy for downtown revitalization eventually led to co-founding LUMA, an event dedicated to pushing the boundaries of storytelling at the intersection of art & technology.