Lightbox at Milan Design Week 2022

Jun 7, 2022 - April 02, 2023
Archiproducts Showroom
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Lightbox City Gazing Milan shows the city lights of Milan from space, but when you turn off the light you see the stars

From 7th - 12th of June 2022 the Lightbox was exhibited at Salone Del Mobile at the Archiproducts Showroom in Via Tortona, 31, Milan, and will remain there on display until April 2023.

Lightbox Milan at Archiproducts Show

An estimated one-third of humanity, including 60% of Europeans, cannot see the stars due to light pollution in their city. The nocturnal glow of street lamps, billboards, and headlights means that many people haven’t seen the Milky Way in their lifetime. As a response, the Dutch art and design studio VOUW has developed an artwork that illuminates the city streets of Milan until it senses that the environment has turned dark, when it reveals the stars we usually can’t see.

In a world where lights and technology pushes humanity away from the vast view of the Milky Way, VOUW is looking to use technology to bring people closer to the mysteries of the universe and understanding their place within it. 

“Being able to see the stars makes us humble and more modest,” says Mingus Vogel, one of the co-founders and designers at VOUW. “We need more modesty, especially in our fight against climate change.” 

The studio calls the concept Slowtech: using technology to urge people to slow down and connect—with others, with the planet, and with themselves.