designed by Daniel Libeskind, 2011, for Zumtobel and Sawaya & Moroni, high-gloss polished steel exterior, stainless steel and 23 carat leaf gold-plated interior 1,680 RGB-LED modules to create color scenarios, LED light-field, height 270 cm, width 87 cm. (DR) No. 1 (eL 001) from the edition of 25. Literature: Daniel Libeskind – Zumtobel Masterpiece, Dornbirn 2011. “The perfect luminaire should behave like light itself.”

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The History of the Universe in 14 Seconds

Daniel Libeskind has, in cooperation with Zumtobel, created a unique masterpiece that demonstrates the complexity of the natural light that surrounds us. „eL“ is not merely a lighting object, it provides a novel way of experiencing light and its effects. The light produced by „eL“ embodies the characteristics of naturally occurring light which is placed in relation to the origins of the cosmos. Various lighting sequences demonstrate the history of light in the universe, from the Big Bang through to the present and into the future.

To achieve this, Dr. Noam Libeskind, Daniel Libeskind’s son and an astrophysicist at the Leibniz Institute for Astrophysics in Potsdam, developed an algorithm that is transferred onto the luminaire in the form of dynamic lighting scenes that give a visual representation of the development of the universe. This idea is based on the theory that the universe is around 14 billion years old and that its building blocks – galaxies like the Milky Way – grew larger as the Universe aged. As they grew larger, the light their stars emitted changed, visible as the „eL“ emits different colours. State of the art simulations run on massive super – computers were used to compress a billion years into one second so that the „eL’s“ time loop plays back the history of the cosmos in 14 seconds and, in doing so, tells the story of how light came into being: how it was created and absorbed, and then emitted again.

Narrating the history of light are seven pre-programmed coloured lighting scenarios based on this algorithm that provide a glimpse into the interior of the masterpiece, „eL‘s“ 18 sub-areas are intended to produce a visually linked sequence of lighting scenes. This posed a particular challenge to the programmers because transferring the scenes from screen to the masterpiece and the individual LED pixels demanded great technical ingenuity. Messages in text form can be inserted into the lighting scenes as required. These transform the lighting sculpture into a communication medium.

An architectural object made of special steel polished to a mirror finish was the starting point for design deliberations and the actual luminaries. The housing is divided up into 18 sub-areas that are equipped with 1,680 specially manufactured LED modules. Each LED represents a small part of the universe. The different colours of the LEDs represent the corresponding starlight in individual segments of the cosmos. Bright LEDs depict the existence of many bright light sources, i.e. intensive starlight. In contrast, if the LEDs are darker coloured, this means that less starlight is coming from that part of the universe. A built-in microcontroller in the LEDs controls each of a total of 1,680 LED modules.

„eL‘s“ sophisticated technology remains completely hidden. The masterpiece can be controlled wirelessly via an iPad using a special app - the required lighting scenario can be called up and activated easily. The iPad is therefore an optional component of „eL“ and its functionality.

“By turning on the eL and watching it through its loop, you’re actually recreating 14 billion years of cosmic history, making this an object that can help you meditate on the origins of the universe, the origins of life, and how we moved from the Big Bang to the complex world we have today.”
Dr. Noam Libeskind
Son of Daniel Libeskind and Astrophysicist