luftwerk projects a kaleidoscope of light onto mies' farnsworth house

luftwerk projects a kaleidoscope of light onto mies’ farnsworth house
image © tom rossiter

mies van der rohe’s farnsworth house, a revered masterwork of the 20th century, has been bathed in a dynamic and luminous virtual installation, conceived by collaborative media artists luftwerk. over the course of four days in october, the duo have projected abstracted patterns and rays of vibrantly colored geometric shapes onto the iconic architectural landmark, flooding it in an ever-changing composition of light. the luminous course of ‘insite’ has been divided into three sections, roughly corresponding to the structure of the house, which has drawn attention to the horizontal steel beams, glass walls and mass of the interior space.

in the last movement, saturated color has entered within and natural motifs projected onto the surrounding walls of the volume. from a distance, the farnsworth house reveals itself simply — as vertical and horizontal beams of light, hovering in mid-air in the low-lit landscape. take a look at the recently released video of the installation in action below, and a short film by the artists’ describing their process and study.

light is projected onto the exterior of mies’ iconic architectural landmark
image by kate joyce / courtesy of luftwerk

a spectrum of light floods the structural supports and beams of the farnsworth house
gif by designboom / courtesy of luftwerk

geometric patterning floods the site
image courtesy of farnsworth house

the farnsworth house, bathed in a luminous glow
image courtesy of farnsworth house

black and white geometries projected onto the surface of the house
image courtesy of farnsworth house

light floods into the interior volume
images courtesy of courtesy of luftwerk

rays of black and white light pierce the interior of the farnsworth house
images courtesy of courtesy of luftwerk

color is projected onto the ceiling
images courtesy of courtesy of luftwerk