Geneva, Switzerland, 2000.

The World Economic Forum commissioned us to realize an art installation in the main atrium/lobby of its headquarters in Geneva. The WEF, which is most widely known for its annual seminars of global leaders in the Swiss resort town of Davos, is a year-round organization committed to cross-cultural dialogue under the broad mission of improving the state of the world.

Conceived with the help of the Swarovski Light Laboratories in Austria, we developed a multi-media work entitled Big Bang, which is inspired by the cosmic wonder of the big bang and the humanistic vision of the WEF. The installation is a “light object” that communicates positive hopes and dreams for the new millennium.

Big Bang consists of 22,000 clear crystals of various sizes on three layers set within a large glass panel. Red, blue and green coloured accent crystals are added to create the illusion of spatial depth and mystery; lighting effects are controlled by a special computer programme that controls 575 fibre optic light points. The lighting scheme creates a sense of cosmic motion and a rhythmic flow of light that gives the final work the illusion of space, time and pulsation.