The current financial situation has left a permanent landscape of obsolete scaffolding structures scattered across the city; urban scars that remind us of the fragility of our current society. PIXEL CLOUD is an architectural installation that takes advantage of this condition, transforming an ordinary scaffolding structure into a fully immersive environment of light and sound in the heart of Reykjavík.
Designed and directed by Iceland based architect Marcos Zotes and his studio UNSTABLE, PIXEL CLOUD creates an opportunity for Icelanders to reconsider the use and management of their urban public spaces. Located in front of the Icelandic House of Parliament in Reykjavik, Austuvöllur Square became the scenario for the multitudinary protests of 2008 that lead to an unprecedented change of government. PIXEL CLOUD temporarily transformed this space into a site of reconciliation. During the opening night, thousands of citizens gathered as a community to share a common experience in an event that has been pointed by local residents as the largest public gathering in Austuvöllur since the events of 2008.
The installation consists of a large scaffolding structure that has been assembled in a way to conceptually resemble a pixelated cloud. The scaffold, once liberated from its functions as an element in the construction industry, is treated as an object of art in itself. The entire structure is covered with a porous membrane composed of multiple layers of white net fabric. This membrane captures the light that is projected onto its surfaces while letting it pass through its porous openings and reach its multiple layers.
A series of live generative visuals were video mapped to match in detail the spatial qualities of the structure, which were projected at 24,000 lumens from two different light sources. As the projected light passes from one layer of fabric onto the next, the light emission not only fills the entire space but it also reaches the bodies of citizens that venture into the environment of light and shadows created inside the structure.
During the four nights in which Reykjavik Winter Lights Festival took place, Marcos Zotes performed a series of live visual creations in conjunction with live performances by Icelandic musician Eðvarð Egilsson and his project Cosmos. The structure remained as an elevated public platform during the daytime, allowing local residents to enjoy their surrounding urban environment with a new perspective.
CREDITS.-
Design and visual production.- Marcos Zotes.
Music.- Eðvarð Egilsson/Cosmos.
Location.- Austurvöllur. Reykjavik, Iceland.
Event.- Reykjavik Winter Lights Festival 2013.
Date of completion.- Del 7 al 10 de febrero de 2013.
