vilnius street art festival: the golden colonnade by upperstudio

vilnius street art festival: the golden colonnade by upperstudio
all images courtesy of upper studio
image © VSAF

wanting to expose and rejuvenate public spaces typically overlooked by the public, ‘the golden colonnade’ by upperstudio is an art installation that features a reflective golden column, created for the ‘vilnius street art festival ’13’ in lithuania organized by ūla ambrasaitė and aušra trakšelytė, the piece explores the trans-formative possibilities of applying a reflective material to one out of six of vilnius’ town hall columns. the structure was firstly covered in a plastic layer for protection and then wrapped in luminous golden paper – highlighting the monument’s historical importance. gold is a precious metal that is mainly used for decoration, and is often associated with rare and beautiful objects to show their significance. offering a sense of mystery to the building, the application of the gold to its exterior is not a structural element, but acts as an adornment enhancing the overall appearance. in addition to changing the visual aesthetics, the golden colonnade seeks to expose the potential shifts in attitude and behavior of the public towards the monument.

one out of six of vilnius’ town hall columns was wrapped in luminous golden paper
image © VSAF

the reflective golden column highlights the monument’s historical importance
image © VSAF

the application of the gold to its exterior acts as an adornment, enhancing the building’s overall appearance
image © VSAF

the golden colonnade seeks to expose the potential shifts in attitude and behavior of the public towards the monument
image © VSAF

detail view of the installation by upperstudio
image © VSAF

the installation offers a sense of mystery to the building
image © VSAF

nighttime view showing the luminous reflective material
image © VSAF

project info:

architects: ivane ksnelashvili + sebastiano maiolino
photography: giedrius mamavicius + ivane ksnelashvili
installation: vilnius, lithuania 2013-09-11
special thanks: ūla ambrasaitė, rocco poiago, nikoloz lomidze, davit kiziria, povilas ambrasas

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