client
BIMSA, City of Barcelona
architect
MBM architectos, Barcelona
Oriol Martorell, Oriol Bohigas, and David Mackay
Artistic processing
Artist, David Torrents, Barcelona
Lighting design, artec3, Barcelona
realization
NOON Light solutions by INSTA Iberica
The »Placa Disseny« in Barcelona, the second largest metropolis in Spain, is part of the new institute for design »Disseny Hub Barcelona« (DHUB). The "Placa Disseny" is located in the center of the city, directly at the turnstile "Placa de les Glòries Catalanes" next to the city's landmark, the "Torre Agbar" by the French architect Jean Nouvel.
The main attraction on the 2,200 square meter square is the interactive installation “BruumRuum!” by David Torrens – consisting of 522 “instalight 1060” recessed floor lights in a special RGB version. Each of these lights can be controlled individually. A total of more than 10,000 channels are controlled via DMX from a distance of 100 meters. The lights distributed across the square are connected to sensors and microphones in the form of large trumpets.
The sensors react to noises from pedestrians and vehicles and convert these impulses into an animation made of light. The light changes shape and color depending on the intensity of the surrounding noise. The interplay of sound and light creates a dialogue between visitors and the public space. A square becomes a big ear that responds to words - a public space that "feels".
