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Lights On is a Bergamo light installation by Objects of Common Interest

Objects of Common Interest installs snake-like light in Bergamo piazza

A huge tube of light forms a series of arches in this installation created by design studio Objects of Common Interest for this year's Italian Capital of Culture.

The neighbouring cities of Bergamo and Brescia are co-hosting the title of Italian Capital of Culture for 2023.

Lights On forms part of the programme for Bergamo, where it is installed in the city's Piazza della Libertà.

Lights On is a Bergamo light installation by Objects of Common Interest
Lights On is an installation in Bergamo's Piazza della Libertà

The installation consists of three elements. In addition to the snake-like lighting sculpture, Objects of Common Interest has also created seats made from marble offcuts and a platform topped by glowing boulders.

All three are designed to bring new life to the underused 1930s piazza.

"We wanted to resurrect this derelict public space and bring it back to its community," explained studio founders Eleni Petaloti and Leonidas Trampoukis.

Fountain platform with resin blocks by Objects of Common Interest
It includes a snake-like lighting sculpture and glowing resin blocks

The lighting sculpture is the main feature. Formed of both straight and curved modules, this glowing tube snakes around the space and weaves through the colonnade of the adjacent building.

This building, the Casa della Libertà, was once a headquarters for the National Fascist Party but is now abandoned.

By drawing people close to it, the sculpture seeks to create a new narrative for its grand architecture.

Bergamo light installation by Objects of Common Interest
The lighting weaves through the facade of the Casa della Libertà

"We asked ourselves, how do you bring life back into a space that has been forgotten for so long, and that represents fragments of such a complicated history?" said Petaloti and Trampoukis.

Sensing that light was the answer, they decided to develop a giant version of the Tube Lights they designed in 2019.

"For centuries, light has been a medium that brings people together in a fundamental way," they said.

"Passers-by are drawn in and invited to watch the light sculpture transform as the sun goes down, illuminating the plaza within its glow."

Lights In event in Bergamo
The design is modular, so it could be reconfigured in the future

The design is modular, meaning the sculpture could be taken apart and reconfigured for another location. The designers' aim was to create a piece that could have an extended life.

The duo applied a similarly resourceful approach to the other installations in the square.

Marble seats by Objects of Common Interest in Bergamo
Marble blocks form seats in the piazza

Recycled tyres were used to create a platform, making it easier for people to access the fountain at the centre of the piazza.

It is adorned with colourful blocks of resin shaped like rocks, which glow thanks to lights contained within. The effect highlights Objects of Common Interest's expertise in resin, as seen in the recent project Poikilos.

Lights On is a Bergamo light installation by Objects of Common Interest
A platform makes it easier to access an existing fountain

For the seats, the designers sourced blocks of marble from local quarries. These offcuts, which would otherwise have gone to waste, are stacked in playful compositions.

"Reactivate, reuse and renew were the principles which drove our proposal, furthering our existing ethos that true change comes from re-appreciating and re-purposing that which we already possess," said the designers.

Lights On is a Bergamo light installation by Objects of Common Interest
Objects of Common Interest created the installation for the Italian Capital of Culture

"All elements have been designed to have an afterlife, either as a whole or in parts, and each piece is able to be reassembled in a variety of clusters at different locations," they added.

The installation was unveiled in Bergamo in January and has since hosted various events and performances.

The photography is by FTfoto.

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Marble seats by Objects of Common Interest in Bergamo