Can light make a skyscraper move?
Multidisciplinary design studio RAMUS unveils one of their largest artworks to date, a massive 42-storey façade of light that pulsates to inspire repose in Melbourne’s busy CBD.
A brilliant new work called Still Light graces the new 80 Collins St development that towers above Melbourne’s skyline. Featuring 1,136 metres of light and hours of visual content, the work radiates gently to encourage a slower rhythm in the CBD, evoking a sense that the architecture is moving.
“Still Light brings a calming energy. It slows the pace and gently beckons people back into the CBD.” - Bruce Ramus, Artistic Director, RAMUS
Still Light was inspired by naturally occurring moments of light seen in the gas lamps that historically lined Collins St. The light patterns in the façade reflect and refract like facets of a cut diamond. When examined carefully, the artwork displays low-resolution animation with each individual light fixture programmed by RAMUS’ creative team. As the light pattern moves, it shifts the buildings’ appearance in ways that balance the scale of the skyscraper with an intimacy that can be felt for kilometres.
RAMUS’ custom-built software platform called CORE controls each light fixture and integrates the content into a dynamic self-adjusting schedule that allows the building to respond to the different rhythms of the city. The work is mounted on the inner layer of the façade, with each light integrated into the frame of the glazing, creating a sense of the building itself being a light fixture. When that fixture turns on, the whole building starts to move, or so it seems.
“Light can be seen as a material, like steel and concrete. It can be an integral part of the architectural form.” - Bruce Ramus, Artistic Director, RAMUS
"We thought about the new tower being a beacon, creating a warm glow over an entire city block," says Peter Miglis, Woods Bagot, Principal and Regional Design Leader Australia.
Still Light is now live, lighting up Melbourne’s CBD skyline every night.
For more information on RAMUS’s work in Façade & Architectural Lighting Design please see our website.
