Solange Fabião
Art and Architecture
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Internal Sunrise – American Airlines Arena
Lighting concept for American Airlines Arena - MIAMI HEAT ARENA for L'observatoire international lighting consultant - New York, 1997
The transformation from day to night, and its opposite, is one of the most exciting occurrences in light nature. We can compare this rising energy to a game played in a stadium where passion grows and modulates in intensity for the duration of the event.
Our intention is to bring this inspiring moment in nature into the architecture of the stadium. We intend to employ the circular form of the stadium, a crystal ring, as a horizon, which can be viewed from all sides. An inner sunrise manifests two different dimensions:
-A surrounding one means to feel and perceive the gradual changes of light in an intimate way: in corridors and in changing floor levels inside the stadium.
-A contemplative one which means to watch this inner sunrise from the outside, through the facade.
Our intention, as well, is to connect this evolutionary energy of the sunrise, in light, directly to sport events. Through a sound detector system, the public's emotional reaction to the game will be captured and displayed on the stadium exterior. The light of the outer crystal ring will become brighter and more intense during impassioned moments of the game. It will appear as if the sun were rising during such instants.
a sunrise in the middle of the night