At the end of August 2022, a striking installation was added to the central hall of the Federation Complex, part of the Moscow-City business center. The new piece was located in the atrium between the West and East towers. Its designer was A. Perlich, head of the studio at the SPICH architectural firm. Since 2013, he has served as chief architect and designer at PLANT architects, a firm specializing in interiors and art objects. It's worth noting that A. Perlich is intimately familiar with the interior design of the Federation Complex, having previously designed the interior of its public space.
Description of the object
The installation, created by PLANT, is located beneath a latticed, translucent ceiling. The new structure is housed within a modern, nine-story atrium, which also includes three underground levels. The light installation invariably attracts the attention of all those present, lending the main hall an impressive and unique appearance.
Key characteristics of the facility, located 9 m above ground level:
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height – 19 m;
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weight – 1 ton;
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9 ellipses with cool white light (parameters – 2 x 8.1 m, distance between lamps – 2.4 m).
At first glance, the ellipses may appear to be angled toward the ground at different angles. Despite this, they are all horizontal and strictly parallel. In some ways, the object in question is reminiscent of the sculptural chandeliers used in the foyers of public buildings designed in the 1960s and 1970s, inspired by modernist principles.
General impression of the installation
The object's volumetric and spatial composition is based on the paradox between repetition and mathematical precision. In direct projection, this creates a beautiful yet rather simple fractal. The installation's asymmetry and unpredictability are enhanced by reflections in the surrounding stained-glass windows.
Although all the ellipses are suspended by a pair of separate thin cables, they appear suspended in space by a different holding force. It seems as if these aren't cables at all, but rather a specific gravitational law.
A. Perlich's object can be viewed from countless different angles. This undoubtedly masterpiece is based on precise stereometry, yet from every angle, something new, previously unnoticed, emerges. To convey the impression produced, one can compare it to the laws of physics and the rules of mathematics, which are capable of creating animated "pictures" unimaginable in everyday reality. Thus, A. Perlich's light installation harmoniously balances the boundary between the mathematically determined order of construction and the diversity of perception.
