Sabine Marcelis has turned ring-shaped VARMBLIXT lamps into a walk-through light tunnel. The installation is part of Light and Color at Museum für Gestaltung Zürich, which opened on 30 October and runs until 4 April 2027.
One lamp organises a small patch of a room. A repeated sequence begins to establish a route and a perspective. Interesting design work happens between those states: a serial object stops being an isolated accent and starts defining its surroundings. A mirror adds another layer, making the eye search for the space’s boundary.
In photographs, that effect can easily pass for a clever camera angle. It makes the transitions especially worth considering: entering, turning your head, returning to ordinary illumination. The exhibition offers a reason to discuss light as a material rather than the final item before handing over an interior. At home, we’ll probably still start by looking for a socket.
