iGuzzini illuminazione has contributed as a technical sponsor to the creation of the second edition of Homo Faber, an initiative organised by the Michelangelo Foundation and hosted by the Cini Foundation on the island of San Giorgio in Venice.
The event is dedicated to contemporary artistic crafts and their enhancement, as well as the promotion and training of special skills in this sector, in line with the mission of the Michelangelo Foundation.
The artisans that have been selected represent a wide range of crafts, cultures, traditions, human talents and life stories from different generations and from all over the world. In particular, this edition of the Homo Faber Event explores the cultural relationship between Europe and Japan and honours the official recognition that Japan gives to its best craftspeople. These are known as National Living Treasures as they are considered to be the custodians of important immaterial cultural elements.
The event is divided into 15 exhibitions in which iGuzzini luminaires have been used to create specific lighting set-ups for each type of object and layout, plus two precise lighting elements to create a sense of consistency. On one hand, there is low level illumination lighting that illuminates and in no way seeks to nullify the architectural context of the Cini Foundation that hosts the event, while on the other, accent lighting is focused on the exhibits to ensure that even the tiniest detail can be seen. Palco projectors have been used with their vast combination of powers and optics, as well as accessories like screens, directional flaps and lenses. In some cases, the projectors have also been combined with Underscore luminaires. In some rooms, but not on a large-scale, both BLE and DMX control systems have been used. The latter in cases where the lighting control systems needed to be integrated with the building automation systems already in use.
“Details: Genealogies of Ornament” curated by Judith Clark is an exhibition that displays the craftsmanship of 16 luxury fashion houses dedicated to the creation of prestige watches, footwear, kimonos, jewellery, perfumes and much more. It is held in the Ex Nautico building that features a beautiful timber-beamed ceiling. General lighting is obtained thanks to an indirect light effect combined with accent lighting created by Palco Framer Low Voltage projectors that use all the optic types available and are mounted on tracks installed on the beams. The luminaires are controlled by BLE connectivity as it requires no new systems or wiring. The BLE controls scenarios and lighting power ups and downs. The combination of general and accent lighting allows the spaces created for certain garments to be emphasized. In the previous edition of Homo Faber, Judith Clark curated the exhibition in the Swimming Pool space that in May 2022 hosts the exhibition “Waiting with Peace and Darkness” curated by Robert Wilson who asked for a complete set of stage services.
For the “12 Stone Garden” curated by Naoto Fukasawa and Tokugo Uchida, exhibited in the refectory of the Cini Foundation, iGuzzini created a highly defined lighting system for the islands in the centre of the room on which the artworks are displayed. In this case, each entire island is illuminated and not the individual items exhibited. This effect is obtained using Palco projectors (∅ 122 mm), in this case with Opti Lens, installed on trusses, a solution that allows accent lighting to be pointed at the entire exhibition base. These lighting effects highlight the three-dimensional nature of the artworks exhibited, like the fabric that has been deliberately displayed on a curved pedestal to emphasize its beautiful weave. The control system for this room is operated by a Connex system because the lighting had to be integrated in the Building Automation system that controls other elements in the room, including a reproduction of “The Wedding Feast at Cana” by Veronese, created using the innovative methods of Adam Lowe (the original is conserved in the Louvre) and located in its original setting in 2007. During the exhibition, the work was lit with general, diffuse and dimmed lighting, so as not to impact the layout of the exhibition.
The tribute to the cultural exchange between Italy and Japan, which in Venice has always found fertile ground, is the subject of the exhibition created by _apml, “Italy and Japan: Marvellous Liaisons” curated by the Fondazione Cologni dei Mestieri d’Arte. Various Japanese objects, made of different materials, are displayed inside wooden structures on which white finish Palco projectors (⌀ 62 mm) have been track-mounted to create an emphatic spotlight effect.
“Mechanical Marvels” curated by Nicolas Le Moigne and co-curated by Simon Kidston, in the Sala delle Fotografie, exhibits the creative results of the collaboration between the Mec-Art Association and ECAL/the Lausanne University of Art and Design. Five interactive installations based on mechanical know-how and designed by MAS Design for Luxury & Craftsmanship students, illustrate the local heritage of the Swiss town of Sainte-Croix, recently recognised by UNESCO.
The models are exhibited on a series of “islands”, separated by plastic partitions that the obligatory exhibition trail weaves through. Everything is located inside a semi-transparent plastic fabric structure that allows visitors to see the wealth and “historic” set-up of the room. To create the effect required by the curators, Palco Framer (⌀ 119 mm) diffuse lighting from above has been combined with the accent light of pendant Front Light projectors with a 4° super spot optic for each display unit/island. Palco luminaires have also been installed on the outer cornice to provide further accents.
“Magnae Chartae” curated by Michele De Lucchi and his AMDL CIRCLE studio pays tribute to paper craftsmanship - its importance, its diversity and the human hands that are an essential part of its creative processes.
Michele de Lucchi devised a number of wood and card display units and the items exhibited on them are highlighted by Palco LV ( ⌀ 37 mm) projectors mounted on a C-shaped structure that clips onto the top of the wooden base the tracks are installed on.
Inside this area there are various sub-areas like the one dedicated to Montblanc and its picture gallery in which a rod version Palco projector has been used. A particularly successful light application is the one used for the curtain referencing Piero della Francesca’s “Dream of Constantine”, made from wallpaper produced by the San Patrignano community. Two lines of Underscore light are positioned inside the curtain, at the base of the conical section. The top one points upwards at an angle of 70° to light the cone, while the lower one lights the vertical walls. At the centre of the curtain is a work highlighted by accent lighting created by a Palco ⌀ 51 mm projector with a spot optic, installed on a track positioned on a wooden surface at the top of the cone.
De Lucchi’s studio also designed the artisans’ display units, using the same wood and card structure, this time with a mesh surface above it on which track and rod-mounted Palco projectors are installed.
The Magnae Charte exhibition includes an installation created by Matsuda Wakasa with typical Japanese umbrellas. A series of conical wooden structures support a mesh ceiling in which umbrellas are inserted at different heights with the convex side pointing downwards. The artificial lighting is created by base-mounted Palco projectors, positioned on a conical structure with the light pointing upwards. Flood optics have been used to light the umbrellas homogeneously and create an interplay of shadows and transparency.
The “Porcelain Virtuosity” exhibition, curated by David Caméo and Frédéric Bodet, is located in the Longhena Library. Designed by the _apml studio (Alessandro Pedron and Maria La Tegola), it maintains the 2018 layout for a combination of historic and contemporary ceramics that are exhibited along the library walls without backdrops. The entire environment is visible thanks to a light, reflected lighting design. Two items of furniture created by the Campana brothers mark the start of the exhibition trail that ends with an artwork by Grégoire Scalabre entitled “L'Ultime Métamorphose de Thétis”. This consists of 60,000 minuscule, hand-crafted porcelain vases, individually enamelled in white and various shades of green, chosen by the artists and his workshop in the village of Dieulefit from the classic colours used by the Manufacture de Sèvres factory. All the items on display are lit by Palco (⌀ 37 mm) projectors with a spot optic and a 3000K colour temperature, installed on a structure that runs the length of the library in front of the works. The use of Palco projectors highlights certain details of these works, some of which have special features or glazes that recall the way light glitters on the surface of the sea.
The “Pattern of Crafts” exhibition curated by the German designer, Sebastian Herkner and displayed in the Sala Barbantini, explores the fundamental contribution that master craftspeople make to the world of interior design.
Hung on the walls of the hall, against a backdrop of prestigious Rubelli fabrics, are displayed a series of works created by 17 artisans. Using different materials and techniques, these works all recreate the pattern of the tiled terrace in front of the Basilica of San Giorgio, located on the island of San Giorgio Maggiore. Palco projectors fitted with shapers circumscribe the light in the space reserved for each work. This creates a highly focused spotlight effect on the works and the sofas in the centre of the space, while the rest of the environment is left almost in darkness. The colour temperature varies between 3000 K and 4000 K according to the material used. There are also two glass exhibits in which rear lighting has been used to highlight their transparency.
“Tracing Venice” the exhibition curated by De Castelli and Zanellato Bortotto is displayed in the Vestibule and Monumental Corridor that connects the Longhena Library to the Sala Barbantini. This is a site-specific installation consisting of mosaics made from different metals provided by De Castelli with special finishes as a tribute to Venice and the precious mosaic floors of St Mark’s Basilica. The works are displayed on metal backings and to make them stand out, a rear lighting system has been used to create a sense of volume. This includes a dynamic effect, produced with a dimmer that helps to reinforce the three-dimensional nature of the mosaics.
“Blossoming Beauty”, the exhibition curated by Sylvain Roca is a creative collaboration between Venini, one of Venice’s leading artistic glass manufacturers and 10 world-famous flower designers. Located in the Sala Bianca, it features a series of bespoke glass vases containing splendid flower arrangements, exhibited on a structure that varies in height and contains speakers playing a special soundtrack. iGuzzini luminaires light the room and the description panels at the entrance with LV tracks and 3000 K colour temperature Palco (⌀ 37 mm) projectors.
“Next of Europe” is the exhibition curated by Jean Blanchaert and Stefano Boeri Interiors located in the Sala degli Arazzi. It is conceived as both an invitation and a tribute to those who are committed to passing on their precious skills to talented young craftspeople.
The 2018 installation, designed by the same curators, was arranged as a kind of belt or river, but in this edition, it is displayed vertically. The basic idea was to create “luminous backdrops” using 3000 K colour temperature Underscore 15 (19.2 W) luminaires, positioned both on the floor and high above it to create a uniform vertical wash effect on the walls. The works are displayed inside a series of different-sized open wooden boxes, all of which are slightly detached from the wall. The exhibits are lit by specific beams of light created by Palco (⌀ 62 mm) projectors fitted with spot and medium optics and directional flaps that focus the light flow vertically. The projectors are installed on tracks that are positioned transversally and mounted on trusses using the same method adopted in the introduction hall where videos are shown as well as exhibits. In this space there is no general lighting, just the indirect light produced by the exhibit illuminations. At the centre of the room there are a series of workstations used by the craftspeople, each of which are lit by a Blade R, installed above it.
“The Artisan: a crafted tearoom” is the space in the Capriate pavilion in the Cini Foundation park entrusted to the curator Tapiwa Matsindei. She has created a dining area inspired by a classic tearoom, full of furniture and decorative items made by creators and designers from all over the world, that you can admire, get up close to and even use. This space required general lighting that is provided by Palco projectors (⌀ 62 mm).
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