Multimedia Light Show Presented at Fallingwater’s Gala Now Available Online
Video from a sound and light show presented at Fallingwater’s recent 75th Anniversary Gala is now available for online viewing. Created by Chicago-based artistic ensemble Luftwerk, the show illuminated Fallingwater’s façade with images and colors set to music.
“Artistic interactions with Fallingwater have always presented a challenge to artists. To most the building seems so complete it begs the question: what can be added to the experience? However I think what Luftwerk accomplished was remarkable. Their installation created a dialogue with the architecture and its setting. I think everyone who saw it was impressed,” said Lynda Waggoner, vice president of the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy and director of Fallingwater.
The video can be found at Fallingwater.org/138 or on YouTube.com by searching for “Fallingwater sound and light show.”
Luftwerk was formed in 2007 with a focus on video and light design. The group creates video installations for national and international events, works within theatrical productions and continuously explores their artistic medium.
“Upon the first sight of Fallingwater we felt intrigued of how humble and bold, serene yet wild the building is, not only its geometry but also its character. It allows for a challenging canvas,” said Luftwerk partner, Petra Bachmaier.
The show took place on September 17 after the sun had set over the Bear Run Nature Reserve. A single light across the front of Fallingwater’s lower balcony started the show, with music composed by Owen Clayton Condon, a member of Third Coast Percussion.
The video shows a series of lights and shapes that move across various parts of the house. Each series has a different theme: bright single white lines, nature images and blocks that look as if they crawl up and down Fallingwater’s façade.
Given the forested setting, the artists used eight video projectors. Six of the projectors were mounted in two large maple trees. All projectors were operated through one computer system, using high-level video programming software.
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About the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy:
The Western Pennsylvania Conservancy (WPC) enhances the region’s quality of life by protecting and restoring exceptional places. A private nonprofit conservation organization founded in 1932, WPC has helped to establish ten state parks, conserved more than 230,000 acres of natural lands and protected or restored more than 1,500 miles of rivers and streams. The Conservancy owns and operates Fallingwater, which symbolizes people living in harmony with nature. In addition, WPC enriches our region’s cities and towns through 140 community gardens and greenspaces that are planted with the help of 12,000 volunteers. The work of the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy is accomplished through the support of more than 11,000 members. For more information, visit WaterLandLife.org.
Media contact:
Eric Sloss
Western Pennsylvania Conservancy
(412) 586-2358
esloss@paconserve.org