Pipilotti Rist: The Light That Seeks
- SITE_SPECIFIC
- Apr 28
- 3 min read
Having lived in Zurich for three years, I find myself walking the same familiar streets, treading the same pavements, always looking down — carefully, rhythmically, like a clockwork mechanism. I know the texture of the cobblestones, the shade of the tram lines, the pace of a city that is entirely focused on the "here" and the "now." And almost never do I lift my eyes to the sky.
But one day something changed. Maybe it was my mood, maybe the sky was particularly clear — not rainy — but I suddenly thought: what would happen if I simply lifted my head? If I took my eyes and my inner gaze away from myself, from tasks, news, and thoughts, and directed it upward — toward the sky, toward the space that asks for nothing but attention.
And there, in the unexpected height, it greeted me — a strange, whimsical, colorful structure. Like an alien flower that had grown right from under my sneakers through the pavement, reminding me: art exists not only on walls and in galleries. It lives above us, alongside us, and sometimes it is enough just to lift your head to hear its whisper.
This was Tastende Lichter, a permanent light and video installation by Pipilotti Rist, installed in 2020 in front of the new wing of Kunsthaus Zürich. Its name fully reflects its poetic nature. This light does not illuminate, does not direct, does not signal — it explores. It is light as a sensory, almost physical experience within public space. At night, the beams slowly 'touch' the facades of buildings around Heimplatz with colored light, bringing out architectural details and inviting us to join a dynamic, shared play of illumination.
The installation consists of five moving Martin Allure light fixtures, housed in five Tempest Tornado 1925 enclosures, integrated into a vibrant, custom-designed 17-meter mast. This structure stands as a distinct artistic landmark at the center of the square. The project was supported by the City of Zurich and the Zürcher Kunstgesellschaft art association.
Pipilotti Rist is an artist who never thinks literally. Her approach to video, light, and color is inherently poetic — one that reclaims perception, space, and the body's experience within the city. She works with the fractures of reality — inviting the viewer to see the familiar differently, softly, intimately. Her works do not shout, do not impose; instead — as with Tastende Lichter — they intervene in reality with deep empathy.
Rist resists clear-cut messages. Her light doesn’t point — it wanders. And within this gesture lies an invitation — to play, to participate. With her installation, the city becomes not just a space of function, but a space of experience. Especially at night, when we are used to perceiving the streets in a purely utilitarian way — Tastende Lichter introduces a bit of dreaming, a touch of fantasy.
For me, this work is an act of trust towards the viewer. It does not demand explanation. It simply exists — alive, dynamic, attentive. And this is its profound power: it changes not what we see, but how we see. It does not fill space — it opens it, not declaring itself but offering presence.
Text by Maria Vasylets
