shigeru ban's pavilion of light and sound in venice for clé de peau beauté

shigeru ban’s pavilion of light and sound in venice for clé de peau beauté
image © didier boy de la tour / clé de peau beauté

within venice’s historic palazzo pisani conservatory, the shiseido group’s prestigious clé de peau beauté brand presents ‘reverberation—pavilion of light and sound’ designed by japanese architect shigeru ban. the installation — on view on may 8 and 9 on the occasion of the venice art biennale 2015 — infills the music school’s large, central courtyard.

‘I came to this particular site and I was not sure at first what to do, but when they [clé de peau beauté] showed me this new product, this makeup palette, I thought it was so beautiful‘ shigeru ban tells designboom.‘it almost looks like a mosaic for architecture, and I wanted to take advantage of the beautiful package.’

making of ‘reverberation—pavilion of light and sound’
video courtesy of clé de peau beauté

a 16 meters by 9 meters arc stretches from the concrete to the first floor of the building, described by an architectural form that takes the shape of a smooth arc. ‘instead of creating a freestanding pavilion, which can be made anywhere, I am using the existing building wall of this architecture which acts in contrast to my new structure’, shigeru ban tells us.

what looks like a wall of mosaic tiles is actually a carefully engineered grid of makeup palettes arranged to allow light to filter inside the semi-luminous interior throughout the day and night. the tensile structure is made with acrylic sheets that form the exterior of the pavilion, which hang in a natural suspension, creating a parabola.

the shiseido group’s prestigious clé de peau beauté brand presents ‘reverberation—pavilion of light and sound’
image © designboom

natural sunlight that filters through the more than 90,000 makeup cases used in constructing the exterior walls interplays with a vibraphone, violin and flute, with a musical program coordinated by venice-based conductor keiko mitsuhashi. the fusion of seemingly contradictory elements — the historic building with the contemporary design of the pavilion — indicates the project’s site specificity, a work that could only have been achieved at this unique venetian venue.

shigeru ban with ‘reverberation—pavilion of light and sound’
image © designboom

in its creation, shigeru ban drew reference from the ‘lights of venice’ theme of clé de peau beauté’s 2015 autumn/winter collection, reflected in the interior of the installation. the inner chamber exhibits a grid of light, which allows visitors to experience the mysterious shapes and shadows of the city in conjunction with an ongoing musical performance.

a grid of light is created by more than 90,000 makeup pallets
image © designboom