Site-Specific Light Sculpture Installation

Ruta de la Amistad | The World Monuments Fund

HUANCHACO  |  La Torre De Los Vientos Mexico City, Mexico  2012

 
Huanchaco was named after a small fishing village in northern Peru. It is installed inside La Torre de los Vientos (the Wind Tower), a 40-foot existing concrete sculpture, that was created as part of the sculptural complex called the “Ruta de la Amistad” (Route of Friendship). The World Monuments Fund is one of the leading organizations working to preserve architectural and cultural heritage sites around the world. Sponsored by the Patronato Ruta de la Amistad A.C., World Monuments Fund, and the Nina Menocal Gallery. Media: LEDs, diffusion material, vinyl, custom lighting sequence, electrical hardware. Dimensions: 15 ft x 13 ft x 17 ft
ARTIST STATEMENT (English / Espanol)

“By installing Huanchaco inside the Wind Tower, I established direct communication with the outside world in which we live. It’s full of activities that surround us at all times, for those of us who live in large cites, with Mexico City being one of the largest,” says Amorós. “Due to its circular shape, the Wind Tower allows the spectators who enter it to feel the space of light that Huanchaco creates, in honor of Fonseca. From the start, my goal was to give the spectator a new vision and way in which to experience the Wind Tower, where modern technology was used for us to reflect on our own tower.”

In Huanchaco, pipes containing white LED lights create an intricate network inside the immaculate white space, which functions as the “heart” of the tower. The sloping tower walls surround the sculpture, creating a sheltered atmosphere within the woven tubes of light. The lighted tubes themselves emanate from metal domes, creating an intensity of both white light and contrasting shadows, bouncing off the tilted tower walls. When a spectator stands in the midst of Huanchaco, he or she is transported into the “fabric” of the installation itself, and feels the intensity of the piece from its center.

English