Elle Décor Italia for the Fuorisalone 2023 and its tenth edition of temporary exhibition called Metis Lighting and studio GDU to create a very ambitious project: the Art of Light. The idea was to build a contemporary installation inside the neoclassic 18th century prestigious building where light is the main host for welcoming the Fuorisalone attendants.
Despite being a temporary installation, Metis Lighting team conceived the project as a unique occasion to showcase the magic and power of light. For this reason, the collaboration with Giuliano Andrea Dell’Uva studio was intense and condensed in the short time available, but still resulted into a significantly rich endeavor. From the main story-axis around which the whole visitor’s experience unfolded until every single finishing and item making part of the exhibition, the dialogue with light remained solid and intact.
Palazzo Bovara became the residence of an imaginary art collector with Southern italian roots and particularly keen on light and aesthetics. Metis Lighting embraced this connotation and built a sequence of lighting scenes inside each room reminiscing the variations of natural light, showing artificial’s light potential and compelling the visitor.
Every space receives light that changes colour temperature, intensity, direction and colour. Natural light interacts with the interior design, finishings and objects and all together compose a constantly dynamic scene. A kitchen made of glass and mirror finishes, interior design elements that hide or reveal multiple visual layers, coloured glass juxtaposed to iconic furniture, a room visually multiplied with full height mirrors are some of the main elements of the installation. Art and light art are also present and carefully curated including a site-specific installation by Liam Gillick and the ‘’M’illumino d’immenso’’ famous Alfredo Jarr’s statement.
Light in this project became an opportunity for reflection around its important perceptive role, as well as its entertainment essence. Diffuse or focused, pronouncing shadows or outlining materials, illumination can change how we experience our spatial context. Although confined into an interior, changing artificial light’s colour temperature and intensity, it can almost feel as natural light. And when it becomes coloured – red, green, blue or their hues – it commands our perception of the rest of the colours.
The art of light was essentially a game of light that seemed simple and effortless, despite the demanding research and endless work behind the scenes. The event took place during the Fuorisalone 2023 thanks to the precious participation of sponsors and professionals marking a milestone for Metis Lighting and its activity of raising awareness around light in all its forms.
