Prince Mahidol Hall Welcomes Visitors with a New Lasvit Creation
Prince Mahidol Hall at the Mahidol University campus, serves as a concert hall, auditorium, ceremonial hall and events venue. Its iconic award-winning design by A49 architects received a new addition in the form of a dynamically lit glass lighting sculpture produced in the Czech Republic by Lasvit.
Using advanced LED technology, the sculpture welcomes visitors with variable lighting that is programmed to respond to music. The architects referenced organic structures as well as the pitch form often found in traditional Thai architecture. The double-layer roof is designed to eliminate exterior noise, while the lobby and corridors along the exterior glazed walls provide stunning views.
The College of Music chose Lasvit to create a custom piece for the Prince Mahidol Hall. In collaboration with A49 architects, Lasvit created a lighting sculpture titled Neurons, responding to music played in the concert hall with varied light sequences and colors, turning rhythms and melodies into visual experiences. Its high-tech design and programming are supported by the meticulous craft of master glassmakers, building on a tradition of Czech glassmaking dating back nearly a thousand years.
Lasvit designer, Jana Růžičková explains the design concept;
“The design is directly inspired by the motto of the Mahidol University – the Wisdom of the Land. Our goal was to deliver a timeless design that would fit into the building’s contemporary Thai architecture. The individual elements of the installation resemble neurons that carry our sensory information. Just as Universities are the bearing points of progress, education and enlightenment wherever they exist in the world, a neuron is a carrier of information, thoughts and light within a human body.”
The building’s ribbed-beam structure is conceptually based upon the human skeleton as well as the ribs of a leaf. Lasvit enhanced this organic aesthetic with their reference to neurons and our sensory experiences.
“We’ve worked very closely with Lasvit to create this stunning feature that puts the brain, the spirit and the light into the hall of the university,” adds Richard A. Ralphs, College of Music, Mahidol University. Although loose and seemingly random, Neuron’s overall composition remains harmonious within the rules of symmetry. Its structure is a visual counterpart to the inner conventions of music that produce harmony, regardless of occasionally playful and seemingly random notes.
This dynamic sculpture uses advanced LED bulbs inside hand-made artistic glass components to create an illusion of movement controlled by a musical performance that brings the installation to life.