The sculpture is based on modularity and movement to gradually unfold its complexity by creating sophisticated choreographic patterns, while the rings generate a contrast with the quadrangular space in which they are located.
The work is programmed depending on the time of day with different choreographic modes. During the day, the 24 rings meet in the center every 60 minutes and tell the time by playing with the lighting of one or more of them. At night the sculpture is placed in the center of the atrium and moves slowly, transmitting calm to all who see it.
“Loops” by SpY. Photograph by RubenP Bescos.
Project description by SpY
An exciting artistic challenge
How can art have a positive influence in a hospital and emotionally nourish its patients? That has been the objective of this project, a complex challenge that involved more than two years of work. The result is “Loops”, the new kinetic sculpture by international artist SpY. A unique work in which 24 large rings move through a huge space following subtle choreographies. The work has been produced for the main atrium of Insespital in Bern, Switzerland.
Advanced art in a new, cutting-edge hospital
“Loops” is permanently installed in the atrium of the newly constructed main building of Inselspital in Bern, designed by the architectural firm Archipel to house the Swiss Cardiovascular Service and the hospital's Interdisciplinary Organ Centre. With sixteen floors and more than 82,000 square meters, the building stands out in the landscape for miles around. It is the first structure and the center of a four-decade plan that will double the size of the hospital, currently the largest in Switzerland. It is one of the most advanced hospital facilities in the world. Its avant-garde design follows the Minergie-P-Eco standard, the most demanding Swiss standard for the energy efficiency of buildings.
An innovative formula
SpY has worked with leading engineering company MKT and design consultancy Studio Banana in the production of this innovative work, born from a pioneering vision of the implementation of art in hospital environments. Conceiving a formula that would allow human value to be added to the technical and architectural excellence of one of the most advanced hospitals in the world has been the great challenge of the project. SpY's answer to this question is "Loops", an innovative site-specific sculpture designed to provide an atmosphere of serenity and well-being to patients, visitors and hospital workers.
“Loops” by SpY. Photograph by RubenP Bescos.
Art can heal
Patients are at the focus of the most advanced hospital design. Used as an architectural tool, site-specific art harbors enormous potential for the humanization of hospital environments. It has been shown that art can improve health, and that its effect on the brain is similar to that of love. We know, through science but also through intuition, that art has the ability to heal. The design of “Loops” is based on these principles. The subtle and intriguing movements of the sculpture seek to exert an integral influence by gently stimulating not only the eye, but also the mind of the viewer.
The sculpture
“Loops” continues SpY’s celebrated line of work in which the artist makes use of modularity and movement with unprecedented results. Formally direct and free of artifice, the work gradually unfolds its complexity with the development of its sophisticated choreographic patterns. Its shape constantly mutates as the elements describe ethereal trajectories and are configured in a multitude of combinations.
A subtle dialogue with the space and the viewer
“Loops” is a site-specific work that involved especially careful work with the context. Its shape and movements have been meticulously designed so that the relationship with its environment is subtle and effective. The sculpture follows two complementary formal directions: the weightless rings against an imposing quadrangular space provide contrast, while the shape and movements of the piece provide the dominant note of calm and harmony. The five floors around the atrium give rise to multiple points of view on the work.
As the viewer and sculpture move, its visual readings multiply to infinity. In the blink of an eye, a new sculpture is discovered.
“Loops” by SpY. Photograph by RubenP Bescos.
The changing modes of sculpture
The work is programmed in different choreographic modes that adapt to the changing flows and dynamics of the hospital. The 24 rings meet in the middle of the atrium every 60 minutes, and one or more of them remain lit to indicate the time of day or night. During the night the sculpture enters "calm" mode, it is located in the center of the atrium and displays only some slight movements. The kinetic dimension of the work is designed to surprise, but also to allow a comfortable coexistence with those who inhabit the hospital for long periods, both patients and workers.
Technical challenges
The production of "Loops" has been carried out by the German firm MKT, an international leader in the field of engineering. SpY worked hand in hand with MKT professionals in developing tailored technical solutions for the project. The sculpture's precise movements are produced by 24 sophisticated motors designed, developed and tested specifically for "Loops" by MKT engineers at the company's Munich facility. MKT has also been in charge of the custom production of the rest of the elements, and the installation of the work in Bern.
