Liquid Light

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BACKGROUND: Liquid Light was a large-scale installation and exhibition by Flores and Prats (the studio practice of Eva Prats and Ricardo Flores) for the Freespace exhibition at the Venice Architecture Biennale in 2018. The exhibit re-created a real-scale fragment of the Sala Beckett theatre, a historical workers' cooperative in Barcelona built in 1924 that the firm renovated in 2016. During the renovation, a hole in the roof of the existing semi-derelict building revealed an opportunity to allow 'liquid light' to enter the interior, a spatial experience which the architects reconstructed in Venice. Accompanying the installation was an analytical exhibition of the former building's history and renovation process with models, photographs and illustrations. CONTRIBUTION: The re-created fragment of Sala Beckett offered the spatial experience of something far away (Barcelona), while at the same time created an original spatial experience using the light of Venice. This project demonstrates the practice's extreme sensitivity in shaping light and respecting existing conditions. It extends Prats' ongoing research in the rehabilitation and reoccupation of buildings, to extend the life of existing buildings not only with actual uses but new spatial experiences. SIGNIFICANCE: Curated by Yvonne Farrell and Shelley McNamara, the Freespace exhibition was the main curators' exhibition. Flores and Prats were invited to exhibit alongside renowned architects around the world. The Venice Architecture Biennale - arguably the most important global gathering of the built environment - attracted more than 220,000 visitors from around the world during its six month duration. Liquid Light received extensive reviews in professional journals and magazines.