The light installation ‘Eixir’ by bachelor and master students, Special Mention of the Jury at Llum BCN festival

The new edition of Llum BCN, a leading European festival in the field of the light arts organised by the Barcelona City Council, hosted the project Eixir (a project by students from the Master in Ephemeral Architecture and the Bachelor in Design and Innovation), which received a Special Mention of the Jury.

Location: Castella, 5 (wall)

What would happen if in the absence of light we could see what used to be hidden? The installation Eixir (Come forth) subverts the Enlightenment idea that light is the bearer of knowledge and truth and suggests that darkness is revelatory of hidden realities.

The work pays tribute to the neighbourhood movement in Poblenou and activists like Manel Andreu and revives the memory of the neighbourhood’s historical struggles: from the dismantlement of the electrical substation to the protests against gentrification.

Eixir uses darkness in an innovative way to make residents’ messages visible, thus subverting the traditional idea of light as the only bearer of knowledge. The work transforms the space into an active social agent. The installation showcases the neighbourhood’s past and its struggles and connects contemporary art to the local reality and its inhabitants’ collective legacy.

Students: Gwen Ackermann, Ya An, Amalia Bempi, Julia Blanch, Sofia Burin, Guillem Caballol, Enrico Carnielli, Andrea Checa, Carmen Clotet, Catalina Codino, Francisco Coloma, Irina Edo, Angela Escudero, Tania Lakkis, Laura Martín, Esther Mas, Stuart Medcalf, Lea Naim, Laura Norte, Gabriella Nucara, Carla Olivares, Raquel Quintana, Beatrice Rancati, Jose Rodríguez, Vicente Rojas, Eva Stamatiou, Carlota Tomba, Rodrigo Pastor and Stefania Zanetti.

Professors: Toni Montes, Xavier Bayona, Lina Bautista, Citlali Hernández and Roger Paez.

In this edition, another Elisava installation participated: Constel·lacions (a project by Goula/Figuera alumni).

Location: Disseny Hub Barcelona – steps – Irena Sendler, 1

Constel·lacions [Constellations] is a masterful light installation created by Goula Figuera Studio to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Disseny Hub Barcelona (DHub). This artistic piece evokes a tree of light made up of 50 frosted glass spheres delicately suspended on elegant aluminium rods up to four metres tall.

The installation captures the wide range of disciplines that come together at DHub, crafting a visual dialogue between design, architecture, art and innovation. Each lit-up sphere represents different projects and partnerships from the past decade, their light creating captivating glimmers that transform the space.

Its creators, Pablo Figuera and Álvaro Goula, outstanding students of Elisava and winners of the Delta de Oro, have opted for sustainability with high-efficiency LED technology and recyclable materials. A carefully designed miniature replica in Glòries sq. completes the experience.

GOULA FIGUERA STUDIO

Llum BCN has brought together the contributions of creators from all areas of the visual arts: from contemporary art to architecture and design, and from technology to lighting design. From 7 to 9 February, Llum BCN brought thousands of people out onto the streets to enjoy these installations.