Marcos Zotes has shared with us his winning light installation for the Reykjavik Winter Lights Festival 2012.

Photo by Ragnar Th Sigurdsson

Marcos Zotes, winner of the Reykjavik Winter Lights Festival 2012, and Chris Jordan presented Rafmögnuð Náttúra in Reykjavik, Iceland, as the main event for the festival in February. The work consists of a temporary, site-specific installation that appropriates the facade of Hallgrímskirkja church with a large video-mapping projection. The aim is to transform the static condition of this iconic landmark into a dynamic, engaging and participatory visual experience, and to intervene by socially activating its surrounding public space.

Photo by Pétur Már Gunnarsson

Marcos explains: “I am fascinated with finding new ways to interact with the existing urban environment. I feel the city is there for us at our entire disposal, and we must reclaim its public spaces and urban structures in ways that exceed the limited uses for which they were originally intended. In this case, I wanted to subvert the static and timeless image of Hallgrímskirkja church and temporarily turn it into a contemporary, interactive and participatory experience. The idea is to make people look at their everyday environment with completely new eyes.”

Photo by Enki

In Rafmögnuð Náttúra, a series of site-specific video performances and visuals inspired by the four elements are video-mapped and projected onto the church, specifically adapted to each particular detail of the façade. The intention is to challenge the audienceʼs spatial perception with an installation that blurs the boundaries between dance, film and architecture. Of note is the participatory role of the audience, who becomes an active element capable of interacting with the light projected onto the building. The work included a live performance of Icelandic band For a Minor Reflection.

Photo by Bjorn Ludviksson

Marcos Zotes is an architect and artist who lives and works in New York. More info about the artist can be found at www.metacitizen.com

Photo by Jón Óskar Hauksson

Credits:

Rafmögnuð Náttúra By Marcos Zotes

Concept: Marcos Zotes
Project Management: Marcos Zotes, Gerður Sveinsdóttir
Artistic Direction: Marcos Zotes
Technical Direction: Chris Jordan
Animation: Marcos Zotes, Thessia Machado, Noa Younse, Andrea Dart, Steven Tsai, Chris Jordan
Dance Performance: Coco Karol
Videography: Azmi Mert Erdem, Raghul Sridharan
Music: For a Minor Reflection

Special thanks to Höfuðborgarstofa, Orkusalan, Luxor, Karl Sigurðsson, For a Minor Reflection, Sveinn Rúnar Hauksson, Björk Vilhelmsdóttir, Kaffi Loki, Enki, NASA