Skylight
At the railway station of the city of Leuven, the intervention Skylight temporarily transformed the station square. This square is the most important gateway to the city and has since its recent renewal become the second centre of Leuven. At the time, a local music centre was being renovated, and a large tower crane had been positioned in the corner of the square. A series of strong lamps were attached to this crane to illuminate the square. Through this intervention, the crane was transformed into an enormous streetlight that bathed the whole station area in bright white light at night.
The installation illuminated the square and created an alternative experience of this central city space in two distinct ways. From a distance, Skylight functioned as a temporary landmark in the city. The installation joined the other landmarks in the city such as the various church towers, or the tower of the university library. For a moment, the mundane–but enormous—construction crane became monumentalized, if only at night, when the lights were on. The same occurred with the square: the ephemeral ‘space’ enclosed by the square was accentuated by the strong illumination and temporarily brought to the fore.
DATE
2011
LOCATION
Martelarenplein, Leuven (BE)