Reverberation – Pavilion of Light and Sound by Shigeru Ban

Pavilion of Light and Sound


The Shiseido Group’s high prestige brand “clé de peau BEAUTÉ” has announced the opening of “REVERBERATION—Pavilion of Light and Sound,” designed by Shigeru Ban, The pavilion, of Venice Art Biennale, is located at the historic Palazzo Pisani, where it covers the Large Courtyard. Measuring 16 meters by 9 meters, and 9 meters tall, the pavilion has an architectural form that describes a smooth arc. In creating the pavilion, Shigeru Ban was inspired by the “Lights of Venice” theme of clé de peau BEAUTÉ’s 2015 Autumn/Winter Collection, and has created a design that is a dynamic but delicate expression of the brand concept.

Pavilion of Light and Sound
Photo © Didier Boy de la Tour

Light filtering through makeup cases used in constructing the exterior walls combines exquisitely with vibraphone, violin, flute and other music floating through the pavilion performed somewhere by live musicians. Together, the light and sound weave a fascinating, poetic atmosphere.  Fusing the contradictory elements of the historic building and contemporary pavilion design, the project could only have been achieved at this venue.

Pavilion of Light and Sound
Photo © Didier Boy de la Tour

The unique pavilion space enables visitors to experience the mysterious light and shadows of Venice in conjunction with musical performance. The lighting design for the pavilion is by Akari-Lisa Ishii, and acoustic consultant Daniel Commins handled the sound design. Ishii and Commins, both based in Paris, recently teamed with Ban on the Centre Pompidou-Metz. The music program for the pavilion was coordinated by Keiko Mitsuhashi, an exciting young conductor based in Venice.

Pavilion of Light and Sound
Photo © Didier Boy de la Tour

“When enveloping together a space using the minimum material and power, a tensile structure* is ideal. To cut out a space surrounded by the narrow historical facade of Palazzo Pisani, I have used acrylic sheets for the exterior of the pavilion, and allowed them to hang in a natural suspension, creating a parabola. The first time I saw the palette of clé de peau BEAUTÉ, the dark blue colors looked to me like a tile that reflects and absorbs light.

Pavilion of Light and Sound
Photo © Didier Boy de la Tour

So I’ve taken this case and stuck them on both sides of the acrylic sheets, spaced in 9 mm gaps, just like tiles. They reflect light, and make darkness in the interior and through the spaces between them, a wavering light which is characteristic of Venice, flows into the structure reflected from surface of the water functioned as a fixed weight.  When I stood in the courtyard of the Palazzo Pisani Conservatory, I heard sounds from out of nowhere.

Pavilion of Light and Sound
Photo © Didier Boy de la Tour

These sounds were not music per se, but rather a component of the unique environment of this space.This is a space filled with mysterious light and shadows, and harmonious sounds. This is not makeup applied to a historical facade, but rather a method for drawing out the charm of the existing context.” says the architect Shigeru Ban. Source by Shiseido “clé de peau BEAUTÉ”.

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