daan roosegaarde unravels a rainbow of light at amsterdam central station

daan roosegaarde unravels a rainbow of light at amsterdam central station
all images © studio roosegaarde / pim hendriksen

amsterdam’s 125-year old central station now not only serves as platform for approximately 50 million travelers annually, but also offers commuters and passersby a vibrant, creative experience. dutch designer daan roosegaarde has opened a large-scale light artwork that arcs across the curvature of the semi-circular canopy, connecting the historic site with today’s innovative technologies. ‘rainbow station’ has been developed in collaboration with astronomers of the university of leiden, which together realized a lens projector that unravels light efficiently into a spectrum of colors. the liquid crystal technology — typically developed for research on exoplanets (planets orbiting stars other than the sun) — allows the series of hues to take the exact shape of the landmark’s 45-meter wide roof.


the installation can be visualized every day for one year, but only for a brief moment: within one hour after sunset, at the east side of the station. roosegaarde describes that the engaging artwork ‘creates a unique place for travelers, an experience you can not download.’

the series of hues to take the exact shape of the landmark’s 45-meter wide roof

the installation connects the historic site with today’s innovative technologies

the installation can be visualized every day for one year, but only for a brief moment: within one hour after sunset

a lens projector unravels light efficiently into a spectrum of colors

from the interior, a series of hues takes the exact shape of the landmark’s 45-meter wide roof

roosegaarde describes that the artwork ‘creates a unique place for travelers, an experience you can not download’

a collaboration with astronomers of the university of leiden realized a lens projector that unravels light efficiently