Lightspace

During the Wereld van de Witte de With festival in 2005, Rob Sweere presented Lightspace, a contemplative installation that quite literally elevated visitors above themselves. Participants could sit on an elevated platform, high above the festival’s bustle, bathed in an intense beam of light. In this position, a moment of isolation and reflection emerged — as if, surrounded by nothing but light, one temporarily stepped outside the world. The installation acted as a kind of ascension: a physical and mental detachment from the surroundings.

The placement of Lightspace within Rotterdam’s urban environment during the lively festival amplified the contrast between stillness and motion, between inner peace and urban energy. Where Drone made the body vibrate to the sound of the human voice, and Eye of the Storm invited a shared gaze upward, Lightspace offered an almost celestial sense of solitude.

This work was also produced by Mothership and realized on behalf of September in Rotterdam, part of Rotterdam Festivals.