Tobias Rehberger To Unveil New Light Installation In Gasholders Kings X

Tobias Rehberger

A major new interactive light work by the internationally acclaimed German sculptor, Tobias Rehberger, will be unveiled in January 2018. It is one of a series of ambitious international art commissions created for King’s Cross.

What could be nicer than to be greeted by an artwork when you enter a building – Tobias Rehberger

The work entitled Almost Everybody will be installed in the atrium of Gasholders London, a brand new residential development at King’s Cross, transforming the historic structures of three gasholders originally constructed in the late 19th century. It is developed by King’s Cross Central Limited Partnership (KCCLP).

Consisting of 41 handmade suspended glass lamps in five different colours, each a different drop shape, inspired by the craftsmanship of the gasholders’ restored original cast-iron frames, the work responds to the movement of people to the building, illuminating in different sequences according to the arrival and departure of each person. The number of lamps matches the 41 pillars of the cast iron frames.

The current commission to Tobias Rehberger is part of The King’s Cross Project, a three-year programme of major public art commissions for King’s Cross curated by Tamsin Dillon and Rebecca Heald. Commissions to date also include No.700 Reflectors, a 50 metres long outdoor work featuring 30,000 reflectors by Bangladeshi-British artist Rana Begum and Alepppo at King’s Cross, a monumental ‘wall sculpture’ by Tess Jaray for the Tapestry Building.

Speaking about the commission, Tobias Rehberger said:  “I’ve always liked the idea of incorporating art projects in lobbies of residential or office buildings because the lobby is where you get the first impression of the inside of a building. What could be nicer than to be greeted by an artwork when you enter a building? So I took this thought as a starting point to create an art project that reacts to each visitor. People might not notice this reaction immediately, but when they do, I’m sure they will like the idea of the building acknowledging their arrival or departure with a subtle shift in the light – a little blink.”

Rachele Caltagirone, Senior Projects Director (Marketing) said: “Gasholders London is one of Europe’s leading examples of residential re-use from a previously heavy-industry building. It is rooted in innovation and has always contributed to the community, gasholders and now as apartments. Tobias Rehberger’s responsive light installation progresses these concepts. With Almost Everybody, Rehberger once again advances an essential everyday material into something surprising and experiential.”

Gasholders London, the design of Stirling- and Lubetkin prize winner, WilkinsonEyre, will provide 145 distinctive apartments and penthouses, built within a refurbished triplet of the 19th century, Grade II-listed, cast-iron gasholder guide frames.

Tobias Rehberger was born in 1966 in Esslingen, Germany. As one of the most prominent artists of his generation, Rehberger has attracted widespread international acclaim. Major solo exhibitions of the artist’s work include: 1661 – 1910 from Nagasaki, Meiji, Setti, Fondation Beyeler, Riehen  (2015) Home and Away and Outside, Schirn Kunsthalle, Frankfurt (2014); Tobias Rehberger: Wrap it up, MACRO Museum, Rome (2014); Museum Dhondt-Dhaenens, Deurle (2011); ; Kunsthalle Mannheim (2009); Museum Ludwig, Cologne, (2008); Stedilijk Museum, Amsterdam (2008); Fondazione Prada, Milan (2007); Tate Liverpool (2006); Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia, Madrid (2005); and Whitechapel Gallery, London (2004). Major group exhibitions include: Oku-Notu Triennale, Suzu, Japan (2017) Telegen, Kunstmuseum Bonn M Home: Living in Space, Ullens Center for Contemporary Art, Beijing (2014); The 9th Gwangju Biennale: “Roundtable”, Gwangju (2012); Extra Large: Monumental works from the Centre Pompidou Collection, Grimaldi Forum, Monaco (2012); OUR MAGIC HOUR, Yokohama Triennale 2011, Yokohama (2011); Setouchi International Art Festival, Teshima, JP (2009). Rehberger was commissioned to create an installation for the Palazzo delle Espozizioni at the 53rd Venice Bienniale for which he was awarded the Golden Lion as best artist. Tobias Rehberger lives and works in Frankfurt and Berlin.
Tobias Rehberger’s sculpture, will be unveiled in January 2018

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