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MAS Context Fall Talks 2018

Geometry of Light fundraiser

December 13, 2018

On Thursday, December 13, 2018, Luftwerk and MAS Context, in collaboration with the Mies van der Rohe Society and the Illinois Institute of Technology, organized an event that included the announcement of their upcoming project Geometry of Light and the screening of the documentary Mies on Scene. The event took place at the historic Robert F. Carr Memorial Chapel of St. Savior at IIT, the only building ever designed by Mies van der Rohe for religious services.

Contributors

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Geometry of Light fundraising event. © Sean Gallero.

During the event, Petra Bachmaier and Iker Gil shared details of their upcoming art installation at the 1929 Barcelona Pavilion designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Lilly Reich. Despite only existing for eight months, it influenced generations of architects and changed the history of the discipline. The pavilion was reconstructed on its own original site in 1986.

Cynthia Vranas, Director of the Mies van der Society, and Michelangelo Sabatino, Dean of the College of Architecture at IIT, shared a few words about Mies van der Rohe and the importance of Geometry of Light.

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Cynthia Vranas, Geometry of Light fundraising event. © Sean Gallero.

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Michelangelo Sabatino, Geometry of Light fundraising event. © Sean Gallero.

Geometry of Light is an immersive intervention on Mies van der Rohe’s Barcelona Pavilion. Organized by the Fundació Mies van der Rohe and MAS Context, it is envisioned as a contemporary lens for this important masterpiece, the work highlights and expands upon the architectural and material features of this building. This intervention of projected light and sound enlivens and transforms the essential elements of the pavilion. The intervention, to take place between February 10 and February 17 of next year, coincides with the annual Light Festival hosted in Barcelona as well as the Santa Eulalia festivities, connecting this intervention to two major and city-wide celebrations.

In October 2019, to coincide with the Chicago Architecture Biennial, Geometry of Light will be reconfigured for the Farnsworth House, in Plano, Illinois.

We are excited to develop this project in 2019 as it is a significant year for three reasons: It marks the 100th anniversary of the Bauhaus, the 90th anniversary of the Barcelona Pavilion, and the 50th anniversary since the passing of Mies van der Rohe.

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Geometry of Light identity. © Normal.

Team

Organization: Fundació Mies and MAS Context
Conceptual design: Luftwerk with Iker Gil
Sound design: Oriol Tarragó
Programming: Andy Kauff
Photo documentation: Kate Joyce
Film documentation: Spirit of Space
Identity: Normal

Support

The leading institutional support to the project is provided by the Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts and Bosch Power Tools – North America.

Graham foundation one line logo
Bosch logo

The leading individual support is provided by Chuck Thurow.

The project is also supported by:
Paola Aguirre
Leslie Bodenstein
Will Forrest
Joanne Gross
Tom Lee
Ann Lui
Jason Pickleman
Craig Reschke

Mies on Scene, a 57-minute documentary directed by Pep Martín and Xavi Campreciós and produced by the Fundació Mies van der Rohe and Nihao Films, tells the story of the Barcelona Pavilion, a building that changed the history of architecture. Its construction and subsequent reconstruction in two key moments of Barcelona immerse us in a reflection on the perception of art, space and the concept of masterpiece. The 2018 documentary was screened in Chicago for the first time during this event.

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Geometry of Light fundraising event. © Sean Gallero.

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Geometry of Light fundraising event. © Sean Gallero.

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Geometry of Light fundraising event. © Sean Gallero.

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Geometry of Light fundraising event. © Sean Gallero.

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Contributor Bios

Contributor

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Luftwerk

Luftwerk explores light, color, and perception in immersive, installations. Focused on the context of a site for each project, Luftwerk applies their interpretive layer, integrating physical structure, historical context, and embedded information into each piece. Since founding 2007, Luftwerk has amassed a significant body of work ranging from site-specific installations to experimental projects that interpret data. Luftwerk is the artistic collaboration of Petra Bachmaier and Sean Gallero.

Iker Gil

Iker Gil is the founder of MAS Studio, Editor in Chief of the nonprofit MAS Context, and Executive Director of the SOM Foundation. Iker has edited or coedited several books including Radical Logic: On the Work of Ensamble Studio and Shanghai Transforming. He has curated multiple exhibitions including Nocturnal Landscapes, Poured Architecture: Sergio Prego on Miguel Fisac, and BOLD: Alternative Scenarios for Chicago, part of the inaugural Chicago Architecture Biennial. He was Associate Curator of the US Pavilion for the 2018 Venice Architecture Biennale and cocurator of Exhibit Columbus 2020–2021. He has taught at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC), University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC), Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT), and Escola da Cidade (São Paulo).