Visitors to this year’s Salone del Mobile were in for a treat when they strolled through Zona Tortona into a quaint, Italian courtyard on Milan’s Via Borgospesso to encounter Christoph Klemmt’s stunning vortex-shaped OR installation. Composed out of polygonal, photoreactive segments which respond to ultra-violet light, OR’s captivating powers lie in its capacity to correspond its appearance to changes in weather and daylight. Its ’skin’ emits flourishing hues of blue and green when exposed to sunlight and maintains a subtle translucency when the installation is overcome by shade. Best of all, OR’s effects are not limited to daytime – at night, it generates ample atmosphere by becoming a ‘chandelier’ which lavishly floods its surrounding areas with a dramatic dispersement of light.
The installation was a collaborative effort by architect Klemmt and fellow London-based designers Ran Ankori, Francesco Brenta, Maya Carni, Laura Micalizzi and Elisa Oddone whose previous work has been featured in design publications such as Domus and Blueprint. We think the OR is breathtaking and are intrigued that it marks the first time that photoreactive technology has ever been incorporated into an architectural structure.
+ Project OR
+ MILAN 2008: Fuori Salone in Zona Tortona
+ MILAN DESIGN WEEK 2008
Photos via Christoph Klemmt
This thing is great. Imagine if you were able to integrate nano solar cells into this installation. You could visually represent when you are generating electricity. Access to information, knowing what the world is doing around you…pretty cool stuff. You could place these anywhere and create an art/shade/energy generating space.