American artist Lachlan Turczan is presenting six interactive halo sculptures at Milan Design Week as part of Google’s “Making the Invisible Visible” exhibition. The installation, titled Lucida (I-VI), is housed in Garage 21 and features ethereal hues of white, blue, and purple. As visitors pass through the luminous veil, their presence subtly bends its shape, creating the appearance of curtains swaying in the wind or quiet ripples of sunlit waters.
Turczan and his team use a combination of lidar, infrared, and normal vision cameras to sculpt these ephemeral architectures. “Here, light doesn’t serve to illuminate; it forms the very architecture of experience,” Turczan said, describing the installation as envisioning a future defined by energy and perception rather than physical mass. The installation is based on Turczan’s ongoing projects and offers a sanctuary amidst the chaos of the week’s events.
It is on view in Milan through April 13 at Via Archimede, 26. Google has partnered with Turczan to create the multispace installation, which highlights the intersection of technology and art. The exhibit features immersive environments that blend digital and physical elements, with visitors exploring a series of rooms that offer unique sensory experiences.
Interactive light sculptures at Milan
The installation employs cutting-edge light and water techniques to create mesmerizing, dynamic displays. It underscores Google’s commitment to pushing the boundaries of design and technology and aims to inspire architects, designers, and tech enthusiasts alike.
Turczan’s engineering prowess shines through in Lucida, which utilizes lidar, infrared, and normal vision cameras to detect visitors’ movements and dynamically adjust the projected circular light forms on the floor. This technological sophistication creates an optical illusion of materiality and architecture through beams of light. The sculptures’ shapes shift over time, evolving from singular halos into forms reminiscent of floral petals through a choreographed progression of six folds.
By folding light back on itself, Turczan creates harmonious divisions of space. Turczan hints at even grander projects in the future, with aspirations to scale up his interactive light sculptures and make them brighter. He envisions spaces where light can infinitely modulate based on the developed technology, promising a dazzling future for his artistry.
The exhibition at Milan Design Week 2025, “Making the Invisible Visible,” opens a window into the future of interactive light art, presenting both the sophisticated technology and the boundless creativity of Lachlan Turczan.
