9 – 12 OCT 2024

daily 7 – 10 pm 
Alte Dogana, Neustadt 37, 6800 Feldkirch
admission free, barrier-free

The “Spotlight” format is an exciting addition to the biennial festival for art with light in Vorarlberg. Asynchronous to the four-day “Lichtstadt Feldkirch” event, every two years we focus on one artist or group of artists and invite them to realize a project in public space. As a venue for light art, Feldkirch’s urban space offers numerous opportunities to experience our present, break viewing habits or illuminate the past using architecture, light and technology.

From 9th to 12th October 2024, the “Spotlight” event in Feldkirch, Austria, organized by the Lichtstadt association, showcased a cutting-edge light art installation titled “Crystalline”. Created by Sofia Hagen, a multidisciplinary artist and architect originally from Vorarlberg and currently based in London, the installation was an intriguing fusion of art, design, and architecture.

“Crystalline” features a 2.7 metres tall, illuminated salt crystal, prominently positioned in the historic centre of Feldkirch. This central piece was accompanied by smaller crystals, all of which were crafted from recycled medical plastic waste using advanced 3D printing technology. These sculptures were not only visually striking but also incorporate specifically designed light and sound elements that interacted with the surrounding architecture, creating an immersive experience.

The installation offered a unique blend of sustainable materials, innovative technology, and artistic expression that harmonized with the historic context. The event was set to be a captivating experience, showcased Sofia Hagen’s talent in combining various artistic disciplines with a focus on environmental sustainability.

The light art installation was open to the public free of charge on four evenings.

Crystalline

Sofia Hagen

From 9th to 12th October 2024, the Lichtstadt association will once again illuminate the night with “Spotlight,” now in its third rendition. This year, the light art installation “Crystalline” by artist Sofia Hagen, crafted uniquely for Feldkirch, will be featured in front of the Alte Dogana in Neustadt.
A towering salt crystal rises into the sky, surrounded by a constellation of smaller crystals. These 3D printed, illuminated forms, accompanied by bespoke light and sound collages, harmonize with the architecture around them, creating a dialogue with the historic context. The result is a mesmerizing interplay of material, surface, and light, casting an enchanting glow that captivates the senses. For four evenings, this luminous installation will be open to all free of charge.

“Crystalline”
The work “Crystalline” by artist Sofia Hagen will be shown for the first time at this year’s “Spotlight”. A composition of 3D printed elements made from recycled plastic come together to form a striking, ephemeral light art installation. At its centre, a large scale 2.7 metres tall salt crystal rises gracefully into the sky, surrounded by smaller crystals playfully dispersed around it. The installation is enhanced by a soundscape created by Loulou van Ravensteijn, adding depth and atmosphere to the sculptural light display.

Innovative technology
The manufacturer MDT A/S Flexible Products in Denmark produced the large crystal in a continuous 3D printing process lasting 68 hours. With a height of almost 3 metres it is the largest possible monolithic object that can be produced using this printing process.

The material rPETG corresponds to recycled polyethylene terephthalate which has been modified with glycol. The translucent filament was obtained from disposable containers from the medical sector and can only be reused for the production of 3D prints. As with crystal formation in nature, temperature and humidity play a role in the production of the filament and influence how the material behaves during printing and affect the translucency of the end result.

Sofia Hagen
Born in Vorarlberg, Austria, Sofia Hagen (*1982) lives and works in London. She studied architecture at the University of Applied Arts in Vienna under Zaha Hadid. Since 2020 she leads an award-winning creative practice working at the intersection of art, design and tech to create 3D printed sculptural products and installations. The practice has built a reputation for blending high-end design with cutting-edge technology and advanced material research. Merging recycled materials with traditional craftsmanship and innovative technology, Sofia Hagen produces elements, feature installations, and placemaking schemes that push the boundaries of engineering whilst bearing the incentive of a continuous, sustainable afterlife. 

Statement Sofia Hagen
“’Crystalline’ is a beautiful collaborative journey where we were able to explore the frontiers of cutting-edge technology, sustainability, and multi-sensory light art. The success of this project hinged on the dedicated teamwork involved: from my advanced 3D printing partners and software engineers who pushed their robots to the limit, to the structural, installation, and lighting engineers who transformed our innovative methods into a striking piece of art. And ultimately, turning the light art installation into an immersive experience, the ephemeral, poetic soundscape was composed specifically for ‘Crystalline’, perfectly complementing its context within Feldkirch’s medieval center.”

Concept, idea, realisation: Sofia Hagen, Austria / UK
Sound Production: Loulou van Ravensteijn, Netherlands / UK
3D print production: MDT, Denmark
Material: Reflow, Netherlands
Structural Engineers: Define Engineers, UK
Light: Zumtobel, Austria
Administration: Lisa Hinderdael, UK

Flood

Ruth Schnell and Martin Kusch

The facade of the Old Dogana becomes part of the dynamic projection mapping “Flood”, the visual basis of which is the text of the “Universal Declaration of Human Rights” passed in 1948. This human rights charter of the United Nations comprises 30 articles, further agreements and protocols have been added since 1948 and are part of the “International Bill of Rights”. In “Flood” text, image and sound intertwine in an impressive way. The focus is on dealing with the articles on freedom, equality, freedom of expression, social security, education law and asylum law as well as dealing with climate change and associated topics and consequences, such as migration. The effects of climate change and environmental degradation are felt more than ever and every day. They are pushing people around the world, especially from the Global South, into increasingly precarious living conditions. The ecological challenges of the present are complex. They have social and therefore human rights components – for example, the right to access clean water was recognized as a human right by the UN General Assembly in 2010. In “Flood”, moving images of landscapes and water, but also of the consequences of the overexploitation of the earth and its Climate. Distinctive concepts that make the current state of the world comprehensible are in turn modeled from this visual pool as well as from light and shadow. The sound of “Flood” has a spatially expanding effect. The sound is a specially produced collage of texts on the subject combined with atmospheric sounds from nature and technology. The mapping is produced using a self-written program for generative graphics, in which 3D and text animations, nature shots and shots on the topics of migration, landscape, water, etc. are combined into a visual experience.

Ruth Schnell and Martin Kusch

Media artist Ruth Schnell (*1956), born in Feldkirch, lives and works in Vienna. She has been teaching at the University of Applied Arts Vienna since 1987 and has been head of the digital art class for 12 years. Her artistic work includes media environments, interactive mixed media works, robotics, public art, video sculptures, light objects, photography and video.

Martin Kusch (*1964) heads the digital performance group kondition pluriel, Montreal, and the Fulldome VR/AR Lab at the University of Applied Arts in Vienna, where he is an associate professor. His practice focuses on media, virtual, interactive and performative installations and immersive environments.