In recent years, during the Christmas season, we have witnessed how cities transform into stages filled with glimmers and lights. Dazzling displays, neon spectacles covering trees, façades, and parks, turn the ordinary into something almost surreal.
Project Name: The Glow of What Doesn’t Shine
Studio Name: luzinterruptus
These interventions, while impressive, create a contradiction: they amaze us with their ability to transform spaces and capture public attention, yet at the same time, they overwhelm us and disconnect us from their original essence.
What was once a Christmas tree is now a cone of light; the natural elements of parks resemble plastic decorations straight out of a bazaar; flowers and animals that adorn gardens are made of light bulbs and synthetic materials. These transformations render the natural unrecognizable, designed solely for consumerist spectacle and fleeting Instagrammable experiences. In this context, a question arises: how have we come to perceive nature only when it is turned into a visual show?
From this reflection emerges the idea of «The Glow of What Doesn’t Shine». We envisioned reimagining an object as ordinary as a rock, transforming it to make it more «appealing» to the audience. We imagined it covered in mirrors, turned into an imperfect disco ball slowly rotating, casting reflections in a public space designed to invite contemplation.
A monumental rock, which in its original state might go unnoticed, when covered in mirrors and placed on a rotating platform, becomes the centerpiece of a visual spectacle. Beams of light from spotlights installed around it fill the space with a hypnotic play of lights. Its cyclical and constant motion evokes the Earth’s rotations and the natural cycles we often overlook. The mirrors covering it, though transformed, have a natural origin, reminding us of the deep connection between what we consider artificial and the natural world it comes from.
Around the large rock, smaller stones, also covered in mirrors, could serve as seating for visitors to pause, observe, and engage with the experience.
The goal is not to beautify but to highlight what has always been there, transforming it to amplify its visual impact without stripping it of its essence. While observing the object in motion, one might begin to wonder: why do we increasingly need something to be spectacular to give it our attention? What does this say about our relationship with our environment?
Under its dazzling appearance, this proposal critiques our society’s superficiality. We have grown accustomed to taming the wild, molding it to fit our ideas of beauty and making it easier to control. In the process, we have lost respect for and connection with the essential. Here, the rock, covered in mirrors, does more than reflect light; it reflects our disconnection. It multiplies our image into thousands of fragments, reminding us that, even though authenticity exists, we prefer what is designed to please us and to share on social media.
We do not aim to provide answers but to pose necessary questions. We invite you to sit down, observe the interplay of lights, and reflect: could we learn to see authenticity with fresh eyes? Or will we continue seeking only what glows, but doesn’t truly illuminate us?
From a practical perspective, considering the challenge of transporting a large rock to a public space, we propose creating an artificial rock using cement or papier-mâché with a metal structure. This approach would reduce its weight and facilitate installation on the rotating platform while maintaining the work’s essential character without resorting to synthetic materials. Of course, we always rely on the collaboration of local volunteers to help us dress the rock with the brilliance and glamour we envision.
