From the Guggenheim in Spain to the Sydney Opera House in Australia, the monumental and interactive walk-in sculptures of Architects of Air, designed by Alan Parkinson, have astounded audiences across the globe.
The lumianrium offers a dazzling maze of winding paths and soaring domes where Islamic architecture, Archimedean solids and Gothic cathedrals meld into an inspiring monument to the beauty of light and colour, and where visitors can happily loose themselves.
The installation awakens all the senses, creating a sense of wonder and enchantment for all ages. Visitors are transported and immersed into an amazing world of light and subtle and saturated hues, for a unique sensory experience, and brings visual art in places where you wouldn’t expect it.
All luminaria are modular and can be adapted to different sites. They are easy to install and can operate in most weathers. They are successful in their own right but can be used for many different functions – performance, workshops, education, and more.
The experience starts with the spectacle of installation. The appearance of this ephemeral cathedral of air is a dramatic intervention in the everyday environment.
In the course of the exhibition as many as 2,000 visitors per day may have passed through the luminarium to come out happy, touched by a sense of wonder at the beauty of light and colour.
THE EXPERIENCE
Visitors remove their shoes before passing into the airlock. Once inside they can wander freely or just lie back and enjoy the ambience of the structure.
The initial reaction is often one of delight at the unexpected beauty of the light.
The radiance of the daylight transmitted by the coloured pvc of the luminarium is surprising in its luminosity and makes a direct impact on the senses.
Through labyrinthine tunnels and cavernous domes, visitors move in a medium of saturated and subtle hues. Vivid reflections of liquid colour spill across the curved walls creating a world apart from the normal and everyday.
No two visits to a structure are alike as the atmosphere inside alters according to changing weather and changing light outside. The experience is also affected by how the public inhabits the luminarium. It is a paradox that such a stimulating environment can simultaneously be so calming. Many people find the luminaria a place for rest or meditation.
Visitors try to put their experience into words, comparing the experience to being in a futuristic space station or the human body.
Sometimes the structure may be animated by a musician or a storyteller but, more often, the space is enjoyed in its simplicity. As such, it is appreciated by people of all ages from all backgrounds.
A luminarium, by its nature, gives access to a very broad audience. They are appreciated by all ages, all cultures, all abilities and can be accessed by the elderly and wheelchair users.
“A luminarium meets a need in people, it offers a space somewhere between a womb and a cathedral.” jatin Kronz, sculptor, Czech Republic.
