Architecture

Enchanted Promenade: the exploration of light and its interplay with art, architecture and space

Starting Nov. 22, 2016, Discovery Green will soon become illuminated by ten color-changing giant peony bouquets. The installation, Enchanted Promenade, is brought to life by TILT, a French light and art design studio.

The Weingarten Art Group brought this project to the art committee of Discovery Green as a public engagement medium. The installation marks TILT’s debut in the United States.

Francois Fouilhe, one of the artists behind the magic, gives a little more insight to the LED lighting and the hopes TILT has for the public art installation.

Q: What’s the story behind Enchanted Promenade? How did installation first come about?

Francois Fouilhe: We wanted to recreate a dynamic colorful garden of lights under the canopy of the Brown Promenade. We imagined an immersive installation for people to step into a surprising spring at the beginning of the winter season and bring color and warmness to the site. We also wanted to invite the passersby to take a break and sit under the peonies to enjoy the show and rediscover the Brown Promenade they are used to.

Q: What’s your hope for people who view and interact with this work?

Francois Fouilhe: I hope they will have fun and enjoy the scenography. Maybe it will lead to meetings between people under the magic of the site. I’ll be happy if people are amazed by these unusual flowers that have grown in their park. I hope they will have a great time, envoy the colors, the changing of lights and rest on the benches for lunch or meet their friends or family. I wish the Enchanted Promenade will bring some warm and colorful life within the park!

Q: Can you talk about the materials used to create this installation?

Francois Fouilhe: The peonies are made with material such as wood, aluminum or metal. They are handcrafted towering creations. We imagined and manufactured them in our warehouse. Our Luminaires incorporate sustainable elements. We use energy saving lights as our artworks are completely equipped with LED. We work with local suppliers for wood and steel. We use recyclable materials as often as we can to build or repair our artworks.

Q: Does your work always have an element of fantasy and whimsy?

Francois Fouilhe: Yes, always! We enjoy creating stunningly beautiful and memorable spectacles of light inspired by nature. Through our scenographies, we aim to catch the eye, cause emotion and stimulate imagination through light and large-scale effects. We really enjoy entertaining and teasing people with our fantasy. We hope that our installation brings people to the park.

Q: What’s the role of light in creating a fantastical ambiance?

Francois Fouilhe: Light is everything; there is no impact without it. Colors, discrepancy, new perspectives… light allows us to create new horizons and open the mind. Light is the magical ingredient that lets people step inside a magical world.

The exploration and understanding of light and its interplay with art, architecture and space allows us to create extraordinary universes. It is a universal coding that can understand and touch everyone. Luminaires can work during day time, but all the beauty and fantasy of the artwork is revealed and enhanced at night by light.