Design studio Loom on the Moon has created three mirrored structures that combine lighting and audio to celebrate the heritage of the city of Zlín in the Czech Republic.
Named Mirrors of Zlín, the installation was made up of three distinct audiovisual exhibits arranged around Zlín Castle to memorialise 700 years since the city's founding.
The three elements – Encyclopedia, Imerse and Statements – are all clad in highly reflective polished steel sheets. Through these, visitors are encouraged to reflect on the city's heritage both physically and mentally.
"The park is unused, almost forgotten as the people just pass through," Loom on the Moon told Dezeen. "The mirrors reflect the people, who are pulled to the installation, making the visitors part of the changeable image of the park."
Statements manifests as a series of puddle-like mirrors arranged between the trees on the lawn to the north of the castle. The mirrors were made from polished steel and are durable enough to be stood on and walked across.
They are slightly raised off the ground to allow for the LED lighting components that are affixed to each, giving them a glowing halo of warm-toned light at night.
As well as the lighting component, the waterproof housing on the underside of each mirror contains a speaker that plays a soundscape made up of tolling bells.
"The basis for the music composition that sounds through the park in various phases of the year was a careful mapping and study of the sounds of bells in the belfries of the Zlín Region," said the studio.
"Thus the park rings with the vibrations of bells, which creates a scaled-down geographical imprint of the Zlín Region."
Encyclopedia is situated on the south of the castle and takes the form of a curved, roofless structure with a gap to allow visitors to enter and exit.
Its convex side is clad in mirror-polished steel sheets and its concave side has white text and illustrations applied to a dark background made from waterproof plywood.
The 40-metre-long and three-metre-tall structure was informed by the work of Czech writer Pavel Kosatík and presents a timeline of Zlín's history through a sequential layout of text and images depicting significant moments in time.
"[Encyclopedia shows] the evolution of the city and its surroundings, which we subsequently complemented and summarised with illustrations," said Loom on the Moon. "This resulted in an intergenerational dialogue between text and image, which are sometimes in harmony and sometimes in contrast."
The final element, named Imerse, is situated closest to the castle and presents an immersive audiovisual presentation in the form of an animated film projected onto a plywood screen.
The projector is situated inside one of the castle's windows, and the speakers are contained within the wall's plywood frame.
The narrative display presents the viewer with different phases of the city's history, including through different seasons, at significant industrial milestones and in the present day.
"[Imerse] allows visitors to inhabit past moments of Zlín," explained the studio. "It is a frame by frame painted animation that treats each frame of the film as a painting."
Encyclopedia and Imerse were designed as long-term installations, however Statements was intended to occupy the site on a permanent basis. Each of the installations were prefabricated before being delivered and installed, to avoid disruption to the site.
Loom on the Moon is a multidisciplinary design studio that creates multimedia installations, exhibitions and experiences for the cultural and public sectors.
Other exhibitions that have been recently published on Dezeen include an egg-shaped visitor centre that appears to float on a Norwegian Fjord and an installation that explores the concept of sustainable architecture and agriculture.
The photography is by BoysPlayNice.
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Our most popular newsletter, formerly known as Dezeen Weekly. Sent every Thursday and featuring a selection of the best reader comments and most talked-about stories. Plus occasional updates on Dezeen’s services and breaking news.
Sent every Tuesday and containing a selection of the most important news highlights. Plus occasional updates on Dezeen’s services and breaking news.
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Daily updates on the latest design and architecture vacancies advertised on Dezeen Jobs. Plus occasional news.
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