nils + sven völker: captured an homage to light and air at made space

‘captured – a homage to light and air’ by nils and sven völker at made space all images courtesy of nils völker

german artist nils völker has sent us images of ‘captured – a homage to light and air,’ a site-specific installation he and his brother sven völker created for made space in berlin. combining physical computing and graphic design, this immersive work stages a field of 252 programmable inflatable cushions, surrounded by 304 framed graphic pages. the resulting space hosted twelve-minute performances exploring the thematic interaction between light and air.

developed over the course of three months, the collaborative installation integrates each völker’s skills. sven, a graphic designer, developed the performance’s narrative through its wall imagery, divided into four chapters: the intangible, the volume, the border, and the ephemeral. specializing in machines, nils custom made the silver air bags and programmed them to enact discrete sequences for each part. he also controlled the multi-color light system as an added element to the work.

detail of inflated bag during performance

the field of air cushions and two of the chapters on display

detail of deflated bags

documentation of the performance

an interview with the völker brothers about the project