‘Protected Paradise’ is a
striking, 12 metre high, mixed media installation created by Belgian artist Koen Vanmechelen located in the garden of the Palazzio Francetti for the 2017 Biennale di
Venezia (Venice Biennale) contemporary visual art exhibition.
Luc Peumans of Painting
with Light was contacted to light the work, a thought-provoking piece
encouraging viewers to engage and question the impact of humanity on a rapidly
transforming planet!
It consists of two bronze
trees, a 4 metre bronze chicken claw (symbolic of the human being), two eggs
made out of marble and fibre respectively (the eggs of hope) and an impressive
cage constructed from recycled material, made by ECO-OH!
The bottom egg is constructed
from Carrara marble and weighs 12 tonnes.
The overall construction of
the piece was managed by Koen Verhaert of ECO-OH!, based at Laakdal in
Belgium and they asked Luc on-board for the intricate task of lighting the piece,
working to a brief from Koen Vanmechelen himself.
Luc is used to challenging
lighting and visual projects but this was on an altogether other level, he
explained, “It needed an exceptionally precise and delicate approach. The
responsibility of lighting someone’s creative and emotional expression is
intense. It’s nerve-wracking BUT also extremely rewarding!”
Luc had just two weeks to
craft a lighting scheme for ‘Protected Paradise’ and, in line
with the context of the work, it needed to be as carbon-neutral as possible.
He contacted Antwerp-based
architectural LED lighting manufacturer and specialist Lux Lumen,
specifically about their StarEye fixture. This
small 1cm diameter, 2cm long, highly efficient 1 Watt LED solution for outdoor detail lighting is available in Micro and Maxi
versions and a range of colour temperatures as well as different lenses.
These fixtures were chosen
because they could easily be integrated into the
structure as it was vital to keep the lighting as discreet and concealed as
possible.
Cool 4000K white units were
chosen to highlight the eggs, maintaining and gently accenting a pure white
appearance. For the bronze trees and the chicken claw, Luc decided on 2700K
StarEyes – a selection of spot and wash fixtures. A total of 28 x Micro
StarEyes are used to illuminate the work internally.
On the outside, the Maxi
size of StarEye is used – which is a 10W fixture similar in size to a ‘birdie’.
Four StarEye Maxi’s are
located outside the cage structure, with another two inside which are
completely covered with broken industrial glass a treatment required to
produce the specific reflective effects stipulated by the artist.
There is also one Maxi
positioned on top of the Palazzio Francetti to illuminate the top of the egg.
This highly appropriate and
carefully refined lighting scheme consumes just 90 Watts of power, so is very
energy conscious as well, as a subtle and
understated compliment to this interesting work.
Koen Vanmechelen comments,
“Light is the constructor of the detail …and it was essential to my
installation – it could make or break the piece”.
Koen and Luc are both based
in Genk and have been aware of one another’s work for some time. “It was a
great honour to finally meet Koen in person and very exciting for us to work
together on this project. I look forward to future collaborations in the world
of art,” states Luc.
Protected Paradise can be
enjoyed at La Biennale di Venezia until
November 26th 2017.
http://www.paintingwithlight.be
Photo by Kris Vervaeke and Domi Diaz
