When five Belgian architects, Axel Cailteux, Celine Hautfenne, Delphine Termote, Amelie Schweisthal and Julie Neuwels, created MetamorphOse, the firm became an outlet for the young minds to rethink architecture at various scales. “We use, as architects in different firms and with different centers of interest, our combined experiences of the city and the existing or future urban assets to put forward contemporary, sustainable or ephemeral interventions,” explained the architects. For their landscape installation in Beziers, France (which was created for Technilum for the festival “Heureuse Coincidence”), the architects have not created a new building volume or designed a large scale construction, but rather, “a simple gesture” that is just enough to make an impact on the way the space is perceived.
More about the installation after the break.
“Starting from this premise, the intervention adopts the symbol of the butterfly effect, relaying the idea that even the smallest element can have a phenomenal impact on its environment. A symbol conveyed th rough the project’s double character, that of catalyst and multiplier,” explained the architects.
Using mirrors, PVC spheres, and small phosphorescent balls, the installation’s abstracted cloud particles do not change the physical landscape, merely the way we see it. Mirrors that are “positioned like morning dew on artificial blades of grass” return a deformed and reflected image of the environment. “By representing the environment in this way, each event is multiplied by its reflected image, a 360° mirror which also reflects the images reflected by the other globes, generating infinite reflections in a series of multiple, yet concomitant worlds,” added the architects.
Over the course of the day, the changing light conditions, especially as it approaches twilight, make the mirrors dim and the small phosphorescent balls light up in quick succession. ”The cloud of reflections transforms into a cloud of fireflies,” explained the architects.
MATERIALS :
Drop’s mirrored : 25 spheres PVC Ø 40 cm
55 spheres PVC Ø 29 cm
65 spheres PVC Ø 19.5 cm
Small phosphorescent balls : 120 balls PVC Ø 10 cm
Rod : 60 rods aluminum Ø 25 mm
PROJECT INFO :
Architect : metamorphOse
Client : Association Lezigno
Area : 6.000 m2
Location : Béziers, France
Date of completion : 2010 Mai
Photos : metamorphOse
