Luftwerk and Iker Gil has transformed the Mies van der Rohe‘s famous Barcelona Pavilion with an immersive light and sound installation dubbed Geometry of Light. The project sees an array of lasers projected across the building, highlighting and transforming the characteristics of the architecture. Using the 1929 Pavilion, designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Lilly Reich, as the foundation of the work, Geometry of Light creates a new interpretive layer extending from the primary elements of the architecture, including the gridded plan, vertical planes, and materiality.
This intervention of projected light and sound enlivens and alters our perception of the essential elements of the pavilion. By emphasizing the open floor plan and material selections, Geometry of Light heightens the illusion of physical and material boundaries. Focused on the gridded plan of the pavilion, a projected grid of light animates the travertine floor that extends beyond the steel-framed glass walls to accentuate the flowing space as it permeates through the interior and exterior. The animated projections are choreographed to trace, highlight, and alter the composition of the pavilion.
In concert with the projected light and patterns, a custom-designed sound piece by Oriol Tarragó is integral to this experience. Developed in direct response to the pavilion, this auditory component uses the pitch of the space to create a tonal reading. A spatial installation of this soundtrack creates a comprehensive, immersive experience. Together, these elements coalesce—both unifying and disjointing the physical and perceptual space—in a new, altered perception and interpretation of the Barcelona Pavilion.
Geometry of Light is open at the Barcelona Pavilion until February 17, then it will be installed at the Farnsworth House in October 2019 to coincide with the third edition of the Chicago Architecture Biennial.
