096 DECORATIVE & DESIGN / LIGHT ART / EL, ART BASEL, MIAMI BEACH, USA BIG BANG THEORY
When Daniel Libeskind accepted an invitation to collaborate with Zumtobel, the result was a spectacular form that compresses the history of the universe into one high-tech LED light piece.
The annual Art Basel Miami Beach provided an appropriate platform for the launch of eL, a new lighting piece from Zumtobel, created in collaboration with renowned architect Daniel Libeskind. With the eL Chandelier the complex meaning and function of light have been given an architectural form. “The perfect luminaire should behave like light itself,” says Libeskind, describing the intent behind the development of eL. “Light is a mysterious and complex phenomenon; because even in darkness there is light. So to me, light and desire are very closely related.” The 2.7 m tall piece sports impressive planar steel surfaces, polished to a mirror finish, and 1,680 specially manufactured LED modules, each with its own built-in microcontroller. This innovative feature makes it possible to meet the complex demands of controlling each LED individually. Fitting these microcontrollers gives each LED module its own intelligence, which is normally provided by a central control unit. The interior of the masterpiece is coated in 23 carat gold, highlighted by modified versions of Zumtobel’s warm white LED products in a warm white colour temperature. The light emitted is intended to mimics and reproduces the ‘cosmic light’ that fills the Universe. To achieve this, Dr. Noam Libeskind, Daniel Libeskind’s son and an astrophysicist at the Leibniz Institute for Astrophysics Potsdam, developed an algorithm that forms the basis for the programmed that feeds the luminaire. The dynamic lighting illustrates the evolution of mass and structure in the Universe with each LED representing a small volume of outer space. The idea is based on the theory that the Universe is around 14 billion years old and that its building blocks – galaxies like the Milky Way – grew larger as the Universe aged. As they grew, the light their stars emitted changed, visible as the eL emits different colours. State of the art simulations run on massive super- computers were used to compress a billion years into one second so that the eL’s time loop plays back the history of the cosmos in 14 seconds and, in doing so, tells the story of how light came into being: how it was created and absorbed by the stars in the heavens.
Narrating the history of light are seven pre-programmed coloured lighting scenarios based on this algorithm that provide a glimpse into the interior of the masterpiece, eL’s 18 sub-areas are intended to produce a visually linked sequence of lighting scenes. Messages in text form can also be inserted into the lighting scenes as required. These transform the lighting sculpture into a communication medium. eL’s sophisticated technology remains completely hidden. The masterpiece can be controlled wirelessly via an iPad using a special app – the required lighting scenario can be called up and activated easily. The iPad is therefore an optional component of
eL and its functionality. As Chairman of Zumtobel AG’s Supervisory Board Jürg Zumtobel explains, this collaboration with Libeskind is an extension of the company’s ongoing dialogue with lighting experts, architects, designers and artists. “Lighting experiences always represent a piece of culture, a piece of art, a piece of people’s way of life,” he says. “This is particularly true wherever light has emancipated itself from any functionality, leaving its mark on architecture and space as an independent work of art. We are very pleased that Daniel Libeskind has developed a new masterpiece with us and for us.
www.zumtobel.com
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