From 28 September 2013 to 16 March 2014, the Vitra Design Museum will host an exhibition Lightopiadedicated to the artificial light industry. The organizers plan to include more than 300 objects in the exposition: in addition to the actual lighting devices, the audience will be shown archival and modern videos, art installations, photographs, drawings, projects and drawings.
The exhibition should be the first attempt in the history of private museums to explore the theme of light and lighting design through the lens of multiple disciplines on a large and diverse basis. The best works of artists, designers, engineers and architects will illustrate the evolution of lighting design from the invention of electricity to the present day and highlight the key moments of the impact of the achievements of art, science and technology on everyday human life.
This comprehensive approach to the Lightopia exposition was made possible by careful selection of items from Vitra's own collections, careful analysis of historical facts and documents, as well as the involvement of iconic projects from many lighting companies. For example, in the selection of exhibits you can find products of the French company Ligne Roset, Dutch Philips or Italian
Flos (representative of Flos in Russia - ARCHI STUDIO).
The works of the famous Achille Castiglione and Gino Sarfatti, who collaborated with the Flos factory, will be presented at Lightopia by several works that have never been exhibited before. Among the premieres, the projects of Wilhelm Wagenfeld and Ingo Mauer have also been announced. The excursion into the history of lighting design will be complemented by the works of artists and architects working in the field of performance, cinema and photography.
The exposition will be divided into four thematic sections, which will allow visitors to consistently follow all stages of the transformation of the lighting industry. From the electrification of the 20th century, marked, among other things, by the emergence of plastics, colored lighting and halogen lamps, to current trends in the industry, where autonomy and resource conservation are at the forefront, as well as new ways of integrating lighting devices (for example, in textiles or in the facade systems of buildings).
Sections of the exhibition:
- live in Lightopia
- lighting design icons
- color, space, movement
- the future of light
“Lightopia is the first exhibit to use more than just aspects of lighting design, whether it be light art or industrial lighting, but places these phenomena in the context of contemporary debate,” says curator Iolanta Kugler. Whether it's a private living space or a street lighting system, a concept performance or a digital video … There are many ways to discover and demonstrate the potential of artificial light - the main thing is to be able to manage it correctly and efficiently.
It must be said that the German design museum Vitra, which will host Lightopia, is an interesting place in itself. Its collection has been replenished for more than twenty years, the museum holds many exhibitions (including field ones), arranges lectures and master classes with the participation of authoritative figures of art, architecture and design, and publishes specialized literature. This time, the research concept of the museum's activities will not be violated either. Lightopia will include open discussions, symposia and workshops, and a three-volume catalog with illustrations and feature articles will be published.
The Vitra building was designed by Frank Gehry. It is part of the Vitra factory complex in the German city of Weil am Rhein, whose buildings were built according to the designs of famous architects: Richard Buckminster Fuller, Jean Prouvet, Nicholas Grimshaw, Herzog & de Meuron, Tadao Ando, SANAA, Zaha Hadid, Alvaro Siza Vieira. The experience and skill of the world's leading architects and designers is at the heart of the entire ideology of Vitra, which helps the company to maintain its leadership position in the market and occupy an important place at the forefront of European furniture manufacturers.
Lightopia
28.09.2013 – 16.03.2014
Vitra Design Museum
Weil am Rhein
Germany
