Light Between the Islands background by Grimanesa Amoros
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SCIENTIA

Grimanesa Amorós SCIENTIA — monumental LED sculpture and public art light sculpture at Azkuna Zentroa cultural center, Bilbao, Spain. Spanning 60 x 35 x 25 feet, glowing LED art fills the grand historic atrium with forms exploring knowledge, fire, water, earth, and light. Diffusive and reflective surfaces transform at dusk into mirror-like planes. Site-specific light sculpture installation by Grimanesa Amorós.
Grimanesa Amorós SCIENTIA — monumental LED sculpture and public art light sculpture at Azkuna Zentroa cultural center, Bilbao, Spain. Spanning 60 x 35 x 25 feet, glowing LED art fills the grand historic atrium with forms exploring knowledge, fire, water, earth, and light. Diffusive and reflective surfaces transform at dusk into mirror-like planes. Site-specific light sculpture installation by Grimanesa Amorós.
Grimanesa Amorós SCIENTIA — monumental LED sculpture and public art light sculpture at Azkuna Zentroa cultural center, Bilbao, Spain. Spanning 60 x 35 x 25 feet, glowing LED art fills the grand historic atrium with forms exploring knowledge, fire, water, earth, and light. Diffusive and reflective surfaces transform at dusk into mirror-like planes. Site-specific light sculpture installation by Grimanesa Amorós.
Grimanesa Amorós SCIENTIA — monumental LED sculpture and public art light sculpture at Azkuna Zentroa cultural center, Bilbao, Spain. Spanning 60 x 35 x 25 feet, glowing LED art fills the grand historic atrium with forms exploring knowledge, fire, water, earth, and light. Diffusive and reflective surfaces transform at dusk into mirror-like planes. Site-specific light sculpture installation by Grimanesa Amorós.
Grimanesa Amorós SCIENTIA — monumental LED sculpture and public art light sculpture at Azkuna Zentroa cultural center, Bilbao, Spain. Spanning 60 x 35 x 25 feet, glowing LED art fills the grand historic atrium with forms exploring knowledge, fire, water, earth, and light. Diffusive and reflective surfaces transform at dusk into mirror-like planes. Site-specific light sculpture installation by Grimanesa Amorós.
Grimanesa Amorós SCIENTIA — monumental LED sculpture and public art light sculpture at Azkuna Zentroa cultural center, Bilbao, Spain. Spanning 60 x 35 x 25 feet, glowing LED art fills the grand historic atrium with forms exploring knowledge, fire, water, earth, and light. Diffusive and reflective surfaces transform at dusk into mirror-like planes. Site-specific light sculpture installation by Grimanesa Amorós.
Grimanesa Amorós SCIENTIA — monumental LED sculpture and public art light sculpture at Azkuna Zentroa cultural center, Bilbao, Spain. Spanning 60 x 35 x 25 feet, glowing LED art fills the grand historic atrium with forms exploring knowledge, fire, water, earth, and light. Diffusive and reflective surfaces transform at dusk into mirror-like planes. Site-specific light sculpture installation by Grimanesa Amorós.
Grimanesa Amorós SCIENTIA — monumental LED sculpture and public art light sculpture at Azkuna Zentroa cultural center, Bilbao, Spain. Spanning 60 x 35 x 25 feet, glowing LED art fills the grand historic atrium with forms exploring knowledge, fire, water, earth, and light. Diffusive and reflective surfaces transform at dusk into mirror-like planes. Site-specific light sculpture installation by Grimanesa Amorós.
Grimanesa Amorós SCIENTIA — monumental LED sculpture and public art light sculpture at Azkuna Zentroa cultural center, Bilbao, Spain. Spanning 60 x 35 x 25 feet, glowing LED art fills the grand historic atrium with forms exploring knowledge, fire, water, earth, and light. Diffusive and reflective surfaces transform at dusk into mirror-like planes. Site-specific light sculpture installation by Grimanesa Amorós.
Grimanesa Amorós SCIENTIA — monumental LED sculpture and public art light sculpture at Azkuna Zentroa cultural center, Bilbao, Spain. Spanning 60 x 35 x 25 feet, glowing LED art fills the grand historic atrium with forms exploring knowledge, fire, water, earth, and light. Diffusive and reflective surfaces transform at dusk into mirror-like planes. Site-specific light sculpture installation by Grimanesa Amorós.
Grimanesa Amoros video thumbnail for SCIENTIA

Location: Azkuna Zentroa | Bilbao, Spain, 2022
60 ft x 35 ft x 25 ft (18.3 m x 10.7 m x 6 m)
Stainless steel, diffusion and reflective material, LED light tubes, custom lighting sequence, and electrical hardware.

SCIENTIA is a monumental light sculpture occupying the atrium of Azkuna Zentroa in Bilbao, immersing viewers in the four classical elements through an expansive LED sequence that transforms Philippe Starck’s celebrated architecture into a space of collective reflection and shared knowledge.

  • At 60 feet wide, 35 feet deep, and 25 feet tall, SCIENTIA fills the entire atrium of Azkuna Zentroa, one of Spain’s most architecturally significant cultural institutions, in direct dialogue with the building’s distinctive columns and interior volumes.
  • Derived from the Latin word for knowledge, SCIENTIA treats illumination as a socially interactive force, moving beyond personal understanding toward the collective seeking and sharing of wisdom.
  • Commissioned for the inaugural Wellbeing Summit for Social Change, the work functioned simultaneously as a major public art commission and as a living framework for international conversations about human well-being and community transformation.
  • By grounding the work in the four classical elements, Amorós creates an environment that reaches for the elemental understanding shared across all human experience, regardless of language or cultural specificity.
  • SCIENTIA received coverage in Ars Magazine, El Español, Lightecture, and INSIDEART (all 2022), affirming its resonance across both the art world and the broader cultural conversation around collective wellness and architectural experience.

    • Derived from the Latin word for “knowledge,” SCIENTIA encapsulates the essence of seeking and sharing wisdom within a socially interactive context. This lighting sculpture by Amoros delves into human connection, drawing upon our elemental understanding of the world—fire, water, earth, and light. By immersing viewers in these primordial elements, SCIENTIA is a gateway to accessing our emotional selves, nurturing a sense of well-being, and fostering community engagement.

    With a deep understanding of this dynamic, Grimanesa Amoros delves into the profound interplay between our environment and state of mind. SCIENTIA is a catalyst for engaging visitors in a transformative dialogue with architecture and community. Through the interplay of light, the artwork ignites moments of realization, fostering connections that transcend physical boundaries.

    Amoros’s sculpture bridges art, knowledge, and human connection inspiring a profound sense of exploration and collective wisdom.

    About Azkuna Zentroa Bilbao
    Azkuna Zentroa, is a museum located in the city of Bilbao, Spain. It was designed by French architect Philippe Starck.

    About The Wellbeing Project | The Wellbeing Summit
    The Wellbeing Summit focuses on cultural change for the improved mental health of all change-makers.