de Allegri & Fogale Resurrect Stunning Light Installation 'Mise-en-abyme’ at Oxo Tower Whar
After the success of the acclaimed installation at the V&A for the London Design Festival 2015 in partnership with the British manufacturer Johnson Tiles, London-based design studio de Allegri & Fogale have brought their ‘Mise-en-abyme’ installation back to life in its new home at Oxo Tower Wharf, in collaboration with award-winning lighting manufacturers Innermost.
In this new site-specific rendition, the materials from the original sculpture have been recycled, and the structure adapted, to respond to the outdoor setting of Oxo Tower Wharf’s Courtyard - home to a network of designer-makers, restaurants, bars, cafes and a housing cooperative. ‘Mise-en-abyme’ is intended to reflect the movement of bodies passing through the site and encourage interaction among people, objects and public space.
Designers de Allegri & Fogale are interested in exploring innovative ideas around recycling. Their products consciously evaluate and optimise the life-cycle of materials and consider design’s environmental impact on our world. They have applied these principles to ‘Mise-en-abyme’ by reclaiming the 11 acrylic sheets from the V&A installation and compressing them together to create a new, immersive, colourful arch acting as an alternative passageway for visitors.
'There is a special beauty behind creating new work from something existing. Mise-en-abyme was designed specifically for the bridge over the medieval rooms at the V&A Museum but always with the intent of having a second life after the festival,' states di Allegri. 'We didn’t want to recreate what we have already seen and enjoyed, but create a new sculpture that will be perceived and experienced as a totally new object.'
Oxo Tower Wharf was largely rebuilt to an Art Deco style by architect Albert Moore between 1928 and 1929. The ‘Mise-en-abyme’ arch motif echoes the corridors, archways, and ‘lieu de passage’ interspersed throughout the building. The designers were keen to create a playful and decorative intervention that visually complements these features, while at the same time challenging the heavy architecture of the industrial building.
In sunlight the edges of the semi-transparent acrylic radiate fluorescent colours and luminous patterns that expand and retract intermittently throughout the day. The shadow-effect created by the overlapping panels offers depth and a sculptural quality to the work. These elements combined create a mesmerizing, perpetual experience for visitors entering the arch.
‘Mise-en-abyme’ will be visible from the riverside walkway, as well as Bernie Spain Gardens and Upper Ground and free to enter at Oxo Tower Wharf itself.
Visitors will also be able to view the installation at night on Thursday 1st December for a late night opening of Christmas shopping and activities.
Oxo Tower Wharf, Barge House St, South Bank, London SE1 9PH Dates: until 10 February 2017 Late Night Opening: Thursday 1st December 2016. 5pm-8pm Admission: Free
