Marcos Zotes, an architect from Madrid who is currently based in New York, presented his project “Rafmögnuð Náttúra” in Reykjavik as the main event for the city’s Winter Lights Festival in February of this year. The facade of the iconic Hallgrímskirkja church was the site of this award-winning temporary installation.
Marcos Zotes – “Rafmognud Nattura” | Photo-by Jon Oskar Hauksson
In a quest to find new modes of interacting with existing urban space, Zotes used video-mapping projection to create a monumental luminary experience with the church as his canvas. Zotes’ aim for the installation was to subvert the ‘static and timeless image’ of Hallgrímskirkja by turning it, temporarily, into an interactive and participatory experience for the festival-goers; the audience had an active role in the installation and could interact with the light projected on the building.
Described as a process of ‘social activation,’ the work brought together elements of dance, film and architecture and included a live performance by Icelandic band ‘For a Minor Reflection.’ “Rafmögnuð Náttúra” was conceived by Marcos Zotes and created in collaboration with Chris Jordan, Thessia Machado, Noa Younse, Andrea Dart, Steven Tsai, Coco Karol, Azmi Mert Erdem and Raghul Sridharan.
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Blog entry and photos by Alison Hugill in Berlin; Wednesday, May 16, 2012.
