OTTOTTO’s prismatic pavilion suspends terry o’ neill photos in a maze of rebar

sitting in the central plaza of the colombo shopping mall in lisbon is a web-like yellow prism, lines of steel reaching to and drawing points of contact in the air. built by portuguese studio OTTOTTO, the pavilion was conceived to house a collection of works by english photographer terry o’neill.

painted in vibrant yellow, the pavilion stands in stark contrast to the surrounding of the busy mall. ‘the intense color of the structure and floor allow to isolate the black and white photographs while at the same time, disconnecting the interior of the structure, from the rest of the shopping mall and its intense visual stimuli,’ says teresa otto of OTTOTTO. the steel triangles of the piece are organized around a hexagonal base, creating a dynamic and bold environment that appears as if in a constant state of flux. the rebar composing the prismatic pavilion tapers towards the top, creating a sense of movement and sharp delineation.  

painted in vibrant yellow, the pavilion stands in stark contrast to the surrounding of the busy mall

the photos within are suspended from minimal steel cuboids, creating a maze of spaces and perspectives. filled with the floating faces of o’neill’s subjects, the exhibition is illuminated from above by white fluorescent lights. standing resoundly separate from the mall environment, the frame nonetheless encourages viewers to engage with its retail setting: by ascending the mall’s balconies and viewing the exhibition from above, the lights are revealed to spell ‘terry o’neill’ in gleaming white neon.  

the photos within are suspended from minimal steel cuboids

the design creates a maze of spaces and perspectives

the steel triangles of the piece are organized around a hexagonal base

the lines create a dynamic and bold environment that appears as if in a constant state of flux

the exhibition is illuminated from above by white fluorescent lights

the structure stands resoundly separate from its mall environment

the rebar composing the prismatic pavilion tapers towards the top

the faces and personalities of o’neill’s photos appear to float on the frames

pictures are suspended from minimal steel cuboids

visitors are invited to take respite from the heavily stimulating landscape of the mall

ascending to one of the mall’s many balconies…

…reveals the name illuminated in neon

plan of the structure
diagram of final assemblyexploded axonometric