Great Lighting Art for Great Sports

This summer, we will witness athletic excellence in London. Zumtobel, the luminaire manufacturer, will be represented in the City on the River Thames with an excellent performance as well. In collaboration with artist Monica Bonvicini, Zumtobel developed a huge permanent lighting sculpture titled “RUN”, which is on display at the London Olympic Park in front of the Handball Arena.

RUN comprises three nine-metre tall letters, each weighing about 15 tonnes, which have been installed slightly offset, one behind the other, on the elevated plaza in front of the new Copper Box Handball Arena. The giant letters consist of mirror-coated glass panels mounted on steel structures. Hence, in daylight, the entire surface produces a mirror effect, and these everchanging reflections of its immediate surroundings – the sky, the park, people, buildings – make the sculpture virtually dissolve, so that it seems to merge with its environment in a surreal way. When night falls, the sculpture's appearance changes: thanks to LED luminaires installed inside, along the outlines of the letters, and controlled by light sensors, the luminous letters clearly stand out against their environment. Convex mirrors installed on the inside and invisible in daylight transform the individual LED strings into a scintillating mass, which conveys to the structure an unexpectedly strong, yet light-weight spatial presence. Indeed, both the “elegantly psychedelic effect at night” (Monica Bonvicini) and the dissolution due to the mirror effect by day form a striking contrast to the sheer size and massiveness of the letters.

In order to implement Bonvicini's artwork, Zumtobel collaborated very closely with the artist, making every effort to turn her vision of the installation into reality. Completion of this unique task was facilitated by the years of experience and know-how Zumtobel has managed to obtain in the field of LED technology. Moreover, the luminaire manufacturer has also been involved in the area of art and culture for years. In addition to unparalleled lighting solutions developed for museums and exhibitions, Zumtobel has, over the years, collaborated with renowned designers, architects and artist such as Zaha Hadid, Daniel Libeskind, Olafur Eliasson and Hani Rashid within the context of the Zumtobel Masterpieces range. The aim of these collaborations, and also of Monica Bonvicini's “RUN” installation, is to put lighting ideas into practice and create unique luminous works of art.

RUN fact box:
Artwork: Monica Bonvicini, Berlin
Light design: Studio Dinnebier, Berlin
Steel/glass production: Sedak, Gersthofen
Lighting solution: Zumtobel
High-power LEDs in plastic housing, IP 68,
light colour: 7500 K
diameter: 16 mm
8464 units in total

About Zumtobel:
Zumtobelis a leading international supplier of integral lighting solutions that enable people to experience the interplay of light and architecture. As a leader in innovation, the luminaire manufacturer provides a comprehensive range of high-quality luminaires and lighting management systems for the most varied application areas of professional interior lighting – including offices and educational facilities, presentation and retail, hotels and wellness, health and care, art and culture as well as industry and engineering. Zumtobel is a brand of the Zumtobel group with its head office in Dornbirn, Vorarlberg (Austria).