LUFTWERK

Luftwerk

Geometry of Light

It's hard to imagine a better architectural canvas to work with than Ludwig Mies Van der Rohe and Lilly Reich's 1929 icon of architectural modernism, the 'Barcelona Pavilion'. Nearly a century after its completion, its influence continues to ring across the design landscape, whether it's their use of luxury materials in pursuit of design purity, their minimalist approach to space or the bespoke furniture Van der Rohe and Reich created to complement the overarching philosophy of the Pavilion.

While the International Exposition that the Pavilion was designed for has long since finished, the building now serves as a space for leading artists and architects to study or create 'interventions' - where the space is reimagined in a new context.

That's where the creative power of collaborative duo Luftwerk, along with architect Iker Gil, comes in. The project 'Geometry of Light', which was initially installed in 2019, transforms the Pavilion by exploring every facet of the building in light and colour.

While nothing new has been added to the building - it's still kept in its original form from 1929 - their use of lasers truly exposes the precision and crisp beauty that lies within this space.

The use of lasers truly exposes the precision and crisp beauty that lies within this space.

Red laser beams flow across the onyx and marble, slowly panning across surfaces. Georg Kolbe's classical 'Dawn' sculpture is cast in a new light, feeling more science fiction than Greek odyssey. Each beam of light is activated in a choreographed series, creating alluring and constantly-shifting grids of lines across the plan of the building, accompanied with a digital, glitched-out sound landscape by composer Oriol Tarragó.

When the Pavilion was built, Van der Rohe described the building as being an "ideal zone of tranquillity". It's certainly hard to argue against that when viewed on a dark night with this stunning light show playing out in front of you.