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LIGHT arT \

fact that this space is a multi-functional organism, of a

“ façades are a canvas
residential, touristic, commercial or institutional nature.”
on which a light

artist can convey
his message ” Installations of works of lighting art may be permanent,

becoming part and parcel of “normal” scenery in a

city, or temporary for certain events (festivals, fairs,

conventions) or at speciic times of the year

(Christmastime), and be seen as spurring us on towards

modernity.

These have been created in Turin, Venice, Lyon, Frankfurt,

to name but a few of the numerous examples in several

European and non-European cities. Where can we begin
2-3 Arthur Duff:
when talking about urban Light Art? Precious Objects - Extraordinary Individuals,
Palazzo Malipiero Bernabò,

Venice, 28th May – 3rd June 2013
From the façades, which are a building’s skin and in

a certain sense are like a canvas on which a light artist

conveys his artistic message, with installations and

works that establish a relationship with the architecture it
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interacts with. Let’s take Arthur Duff for instance. For the

inauguration of the 2013 Biennale of venice, he created

the Precious Objects - Extraordinary Individuals installation

on the façade of Palazzo malipiero Barnabò located on the

Grand canal.

The project, promoted by studio la città, verona, and

studio oredaria, rome, “… was the most highly organized

urban intervention I have ever conceived, where I used

using parallax distortion in such a specific way for the irst

time…I wanted the words to seem as if they’re floating in

the air” Duff said.

The installation featured loating three-dimensional

words rotating around an imaginary axis and were

generated by two 5-watt laser projectors. Precious Objects

- Extraordinary Individuals was a journey into the concept

of space, speciically into that experience of space, unique

space, which is offered to visitors and to venice:

“The luminous penetration of the Venetian townscape

offered by the installation contrasted with the continuous

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