collectif scale's 'ballet of robots' makes light dance in lyon, france

for the occasion of lyon’s festival of lights, TETRO+A presented the ‘CODA’ installation, designed by collectif scale. the piece, which occupied the courtyard of the grand hôtel-dieu, showcased a futuristic performance made up of 20 robotic arms, which combined lighting design with kinetic movement and sound. 

all images © maxime brochier

described as a ‘ballet of robots’, the CODA installation essentially replaced humans with light. instead of dancers moving across the platform floor, LED bars twisted and turned in an elegant, mesmerising fashion. to complete the performance, collectif scale also collaborated with lucie antunes, a young french artist who composed the music for the installation, which ranges from slow and contemplative moments to dramatic crescendos. 

the lights are twisted and turned by the robotic arms

formed in 2010, collectif scale is a paris-based group of artists and technicians from various backgrounds. through their work, the team bring together their individual knowledge and passions to imagine and develop cutting-edge visual installations and set designs.

the installation replaced dancers with robots 

some 50,000 visitors enjoyed the show

the custom made robotic arms were equipped with 1 meter long LED bars

the robots were set on a platform so they could be seen by everyone

project info:

installation name: CODA

location: lyon’s festival of lights, lyon, france

light creation: collectif scale

sound creation: lucie antunes

production: collectif scale & TETRO+A

photography: maxime brochier

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: lynne myers | designboom