Lightfall by Studio Lemercier

Lightfall, a new audiovisual artwork by Studio Lemercier in collaboration with electronic musician Murcof, offers us a moment to surrender to the mesmerizing interactions of simple elements—air, water and light. Plunged into darkness, the artwork is felt before it is seen: the fresh mist of an invisible curtain of water envelopes us, its droplets then revealed by projected light. As we move into the space, ever-changing abstract volumes of light come into view, momentarily suspended in the atomized particles of water. 

This multisensory artwork by Studio Lemercier is a collaboration with ambient electronic musician Murcof, whose sound score draws us into contemplation. The ethereal compositions loosely evoke atmospheric phenomena, celebrating the elemental nature of water. 

There is a deliberate tension at play in Lightfall between perpetual motion and illusive stillness. The scenes evolve from static to fast-moving beams of light, with each new arrangement affecting, even distorting, our perception of the water’s natural flow. We are simultaneously made aware of the downward rush of water droplets caused by gravity and of the subtle turbulence of air moving through the mist. Time is paradoxically accelerated and paused, a push and pull echoed in Murcof’s sweeping soundscape.

Through making the invisible visible, Lightfall suggests the power inherent in rejecting a predetermined status quo. By questioning perception in this way, Studio Lemercier provokes us to reimagine the reality we previously thought of as fixed as something capable of change.

Studio Lemercier joins teamLab, Rafael Lozano-Hemmer, James Turrell, and Es Devlin in Superblue Miami's exhibition Every Wall is a Door with a multisensory experience that further delves into human perception and our relationship to the natural world. Lightfall is Studio Lemercier’s first major commission in the US.

Superblue Miami, Florida, USA
October 28 - ongoing
www.superblue.com