Winter Light Leipzig

Urban lighting concept for the city center of Leipzig

At the invitation of the city of Leipzig, a winter or Christmas light concept was developed by Ruairí O’Brien in a workshop process. The concept follows the title “inside-outside” and, under the motto “Zeitgeist with heart”, pursues the goal of contrasting a “city ring frozen in light” with the warmly illuminated city center. The aim is to create a fairytale experience. This is achieved through “bulbous thermodynamic lighting” that bathes the ring in a cold white neutral light and the downtown area within it in a warm and homey light. This urban gradation is proposed not only as a Christmas lighting concept, but as “winter lighting” as a whole, corresponding to the temporal dynamics of the winter and advent season.

The concept was recommended for further development for realization with a special appreciation mainly due to its urban design approach.

Client: City of Leipzig, Urban Planning Office

Services: Lighting concept

Speech-Light-Sound Performance

“Tocame y te recito – Play me, I will recite you”

The photos show excerpts of the speech-light-sound performance TÓCAME Y TE RECITO – PLAY ME, I WILL RECITE YOU, with Ruairí O’Brien, on September 15, 7:30 p.m. at the German Hygiene-Museum Dresden.
Based on texts by Spanish poet Juan Carlos Valle “Karlotti” and poems by Itha K., spoken by Vanessa Vidal (Spain) and Juan Carlos Valle “Karlotti” (Spain),the musician Gunter Heinz together with Ruairí O’Brien (Light Poetry) created a speech-sound-light performance of the highest intensity.
Photos: Peter Fischer

Luminaire Development Abu Dhabi

Individual luminaires for palace lighting

We were commissioned to design interior lighting for a private palace in Abu Dhabi. Our design takes simple universal geometric shapes that play a meaningful role in Arab culture and translates them into a modern luminaire design executed in crystal and gold with an LED system.

Micro Light-sculpture “Eating the Light”

Light sculpture / light art contribution by Ruairí O’Brien for the light art festival

The pyramid-like sculpture created by Ruairí O’Brien captured natural light during the day and visualized the play of light with colors and spaces at night using an artificial light source. “Eating the Light” awakened the viewer’s awareness of the poetry of everyday things and light, and used minimal resources to address light as the elixir of life and its existential importance to the physical and psychological health of the individual. Light determines a person’s biological clock, their daily routine, and influences their moods. “Eating the Light” quietly, poetically and sensually addressed universal themes such as day, night, space, brightness and darkness, the influence of light on urban space and the individual on a micro and macro level. The title of the artwork can be taken literally and “eat” the light in its many varieties. The sculpture symbolized the idea as a light “fueling station” “We are what we eat” in a series of microlightsculptures® created by O’Brien.

Health Resort Rathen, Light Master Plan

Our lighting master plan for the spa town of Rathen is a design-functional model for an optimal staging of the town with light. The future-oriented concept shows the need for action and gives recommendations for the process-oriented development of public lighting. In addition to street lighting, the focus is on the highlighting of buildings as well as natural features and characteristics. The lighting master plan forms the basis for the process-oriented and coherent implementation of holistic lighting in the health resort. It also serves a coordinated inclusion of many individual measures and participants, e.g. authorities, institutions, companies, investors and citizens. The purposefully controlled development of the local lighting is intended to increase the attractiveness of the town and the quality of stay in the public space in an energy- and cost-efficient manner.

Client: Kurort Rathen, Mayor

Services: Lighting concept, lighting master plan: Urban development, paths, natural spaces, attractions / Seasonal lighting concept