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Light as Architecture

An Expression of an Urban Dreamscape

An illuminated pavilion, installed in the river itself, explores relationships between people and environment.

The Philadelphia Museum of Art presented an exhibit of the work of the brothers Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec, leading figures in contemporary industrial design. Based in Paris, their work probes relationships between people and environments and explores the potential of form, materials, textures, including lighting.

On display was a view of Le Belvédère in the River Vilaine in Rennes, France. This pavilion, installed in the river, is mounted on a circular unpolished concrete pile. The slender structure is made of a tensile assembly of stainlesssteel masts and anodized aluminum stays. It’s illuminated by 32 LED orbs combined with 16 wind-sensitive mobiles. Standing 50-ft. high, the sizable structure manages to “exist without existing,” according to artist Ronan Bouroullec. This subtlety was intentional as the team chose to deliver this expression of urban dreamscape in a way that was sensitive to the local landscape. Even the scale was determined to complement large trees growing in the area.

While the piece may blend into its natural surroundings during the day, at night, it can resemble a type of lighthouse in the river that dares to simply delight passersby.•

URBAN REVERIES

32 LED orbs combined with 16 windsensitive mobiles on a 50-ft. high metal cylinder create a pavilion and sculpture.

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