LIGHTHOUSE, Vienna

Lighthouse, 2019

Installation Lighthouse at AIL, Vienna has been part of the Research Project - White Cube Teleporter (2017 ongoing). An arts-based research project that enables artists, architects and curators to test art and relevant processes under accurate light conditions. The term “Teleporter” is used in this case for relocating light conditions from existing museums, galleries and art studio spaces into a light laboratory and visa versa. The aim of this interdisciplinary project is to develop a design strategy that offers a tool for architects, artists and curators that allows them to deal with the nature of LED light inside museums, galleries and studio spaces. The influence of the nature of digital light sources on the visual perception of art inside the White Cube and its impact on the art making process build the base of this research project. To regard light as a dynamic parameter inside the White Cube puts us in the position to face the fact that we as artists, architects and curators can determine light individually. But how should artificial light in respect to all its nuances be adjusted to the art work?
Measuring light inside of existing White Cubes and the significant differences of the results do not only question Brain O’Doherty’s White Cube theory. The results mystify the meaning of art under specific light conditions. Commercial Businesses already consciously use light to manipulate consumer behaviors - they leave nothing to accident. In the present project we apply this to the domain in which aesthetics are prototypically expected to be the main topic: Visual Art. The project combines established competences in the fields of art, architecture, photography and painting at the University of Applied Arts, Vienna. White Cube Teleporter fosters a paradigm shift in dealing with the nature of artificial LED light as a building material and design tool for defining the light spectrums of the museums of the future.

Lighthouse 2019, an installation by  Andrea Graser in collaboration with Friedrich Biedermann